Melissa Barrera on the obstacles she still faces when it comes to casting and reflects on why stories don’t need to be tied to an actor’s ethnicity to resonate with audiences.
Posted by mlg1981
Melissa Barrera on the obstacles she still faces when it comes to casting and reflects on why stories don’t need to be tied to an actor’s ethnicity to resonate with audiences.
Posted by mlg1981
12 Comments
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She’s arguing for traditionally cast white roles to be open to actors of different ethnic backgrounds btw guys. Put the pitchforks down.
How do I apply make up like that to my face!
Yeah I actually get what she’s saying. She grew up connecting with “white” characters so it’s weird that Hollywood suddenly acts like audiences can’t do the reverse.
You can acknowledge that colorism and anti Blackness are real in casting and still say “hey, only letting me be ‘ethnically ambiguous’ or ‘spicy sidekick’ is messed up too.”
Guys this is her point. Unless there is reason for the story to have a character be of a specific ethnicity, the role should be open to anyone regardless of race/ethnicity. So if you’re making a movie about the Civil Rights Era, obviously you’ll cast MLK Jr and Rosa Parks with Black actors and Lyndon B Johnson and J Edgar Hoover as white. But if you’re making, say, a modern day workplace drama set in a hospital, there’s no reason you shouldn’t open your casting to actors of all backgrounds. And then you tailor the role to fit the actor you cast.
I read this about Euphoria, that they almost didn’t cast Alexa Demi as Maddie because she was “too Latina.” That’s just crazy that this still happens in 2026.
This reminds me of the movie “The Sandlot.” The hero (although not the main character) is clearly Latino, but his ethnicity is never referenced. He’s just an awesome kid who could have been played by an actor of any skin color.
Anyone remember Cinderella 1997? That cast was so diverse and none of it distracted from the story. We need more of that.
Reminds me of the meltdown white people had when Pro ZD advocated for “authentic casting” in voice-over roles.
“Oh,” screamed these terminally online folks with tiny brains, “so he thinks he should be allowed to audition for roles written to be white, but white actors can’t play other ethnicities?!?”
Well…yes. In American storytelling, white characters aren’t written to be white for any particularly thoughtful reason. Whiteness (and male-ness) are generally just considered the default.
Look, I’m a white guy. I wasn’t raised with any particular cultural heritage. All the stuff that is really important to me is also really important to my best friend, who is mixed race. We often jokingly refer to each other as lost twins because our brains function the exact same way–same thought patterns, same opinions, same values. If somebody were to make a biopic of my life, he could play me with aplomb.
So for all the roles that are basically just written to be “generic everyman” types, I couldn’t really care less what skin color they wind up with onscreen, as long as the actor can portray the qualities inherent to the character.
Has Hollywood moved past ethnic casting?
When did they ever do ethnic casting? They usually would just cast white people regardless of story.
White role? No latinas. Latina role? Also no latinas, probably.