In recent years, Hollywood studios and major streaming platforms have been creating productions based on attention to casting diversity and inclusion. Many emotions were raised by the casting of Halle Bailey as The Little Mermaid, or Adele James in Queen Cleopatra, or even instances like Miles Morales being placed in the lead in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 over Peter Parker. Film, television and game makers increasingly use the phenomenon of “color-conscious acting” or “color-blind acting”, which places an actor's talent above the color of their skin. However, not all viewers like such changes, and the topic has been discussed by scientists from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
Poles do not like changing the skin color of characters in films and TV series
As we read in Rzeczpospolita, Poles are skeptical about changing the skin color of the characters. They cite research conducted on second- and third-year media studies students at the aforementioned university. The team, led by Andre Miller, analyzed the data collected through the survey and reviewed comments in discussions about films and series on websites such as Filmweb, Rotten Tomatoes, Facebook, Reddit and others.
What Poles hate most is the change in skin color of characters compared to the original in historical productions. According to researchers, it is related to feelings towards the original work or character. Scholars have also wondered about the use of color casting in new versions of old Polish films, in game or novel adaptations, and in new versions of childhood fairy tales. Up to 55% of respondents oppose casting an actor with a different skin color in remakes of famous Polish productions. Interestingly, it is more accepted among young people (18-24 years old), women and people who go to the cinema. Viewers using streaming platforms and those with little interest in cinematography do not support such a choice.
Poles believe that non-white actors are preferred in films and that political correctness has gone too far. These arguments are often repeated by men aged 35-44 and highly educated Poles.
It is possible that for people with greater social capital (of which education is a component), color blindness may appear to be unsophisticated social engineering, perhaps functioning in the culture in which it was invented, but less relevant to the Polish context. – We read about justification.
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