Race row as Robert Downey Jr. films in blackface

**witchcurlgirl** · March 11th, 2008, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by Mel1973

and on snl when he would go in white face to show that white people get stuff for free and shit...

that was great..

"Go on, take the money, there's no one here"

**Mel1973** · March 11th, 2008, 09:11 AM

Originally Posted by witchcurlgirl

that was great..

"Go on, take the money, there's no one here"

it was! you just have to take this kinda stuff as the writers intend it - sometimes people doing this is FUNNY!

**TheONe** · March 11th, 2008, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Grimmlok

... omg, you didn't actually SEE Norbit.. did you?

*horror*

It was on HBO like every night last month!...unfortunatley it was a slow night for TV

**Sweetie** · March 11th, 2008, 09:25 AM

^ I actually thought it was funny.
The little car cracked me up.

**kingcap72** · March 11th, 2008, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by sweetness

My all time favorite stupid movie is Scary Movie 2. Even though I've seen it a gazillion times it never fails to have me in stitches!

I LOVE Scary Movie 2.

**AliceInWonderland** · March 11th, 2008, 01:08 PM

yeah why was eddie murphy playing a fat guy when a fat guy coulda been hired to play him! fatist!

**Chalet** · March 11th, 2008, 01:56 PM

Some films from the past:

Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, plays a Japanese man.

Shirley Maclaine in My Geisha. Similar to the Robert Downey story, in the film Shirley wanted to audition for the role in Madame Butterfly.

Katharine Hepburn in Dragon Seed. She plays a Chinese woman.

Back then in Hollywood, minorities were not given lead roles.

Thandie Newton wanted to play Marianne Pearl but Brad was one of the producers...

Read about movie makeup and ethnicities:

character makeups | blackface & yellowface | themakeupgallery

**Rondette** · March 11th, 2008, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by sputnik

the whole point of the character is that it's a white guy in blackface. it's satire and part of the story. i don't see how that has anything to do with a shortage of actors. it's as if feminists had gotten offended that they hired robin williams instead of a woman to play mrs. doubtfire.

ITA.

Originally Posted by RevellingInSane

It wasn't so long ago the handicapped and homosexuals could be used as joke fodder and it was completely acceptable.

What was that film with Johnny Knoxville iin where he pretended to be mentally handicapped to get into the Special Olympics? Same sort of premise as this new film as far as I can see.

**Mel1973** · March 11th, 2008, 02:19 PM

the ringer?

**Sweetie** · March 11th, 2008, 02:20 PM

Knoxville ....I would love to have me two of those at one time.

**AliceInWonderland** · March 11th, 2008, 02:28 PM

that mickey rooney character was horrible!!!!

i remember when my grandma and me tried to make me look asian when i was a kid once b/c i was so obessed w/ asian womens looks, damnit, my eyes are too "buggy" to do it well though!

**Chalet** · March 11th, 2008, 04:46 PM

Here's another one. Took me hours to remember the name. Watermelon Man directed by Melvin Van Peebles was the story of a bigotted white man who woke up one morning to find he has become black.

Godfrey Cambridge played black and white. In 1972, the studio was considering Alan Arkin or Jack Lemmon for the role but Van Peebles wanted a black actor.

**AliceInWonderland** · March 11th, 2008, 05:14 PM

^ wow! thats striking/shocking!!

**purple rain** · March 11th, 2008, 07:42 PM

Who cares? Actors change their appearance all the time for roles. Actors wear makeup, wigs, prosthetics, etc. to change their appearance to suit their character all the time. I don't get what the big deal is.

Even if his character does make fun of "black stereotypes," the Wayans Bro's made fun of white stereotypes in White Chicks (I'd assume from the premise of the movie); why is it only a big deal if it's done in reverse? Society is way too PC. Don't take it that seriously.