Hollywood's Bad "Habitual Practice"

The casting of white actor Jake Gyllenhaul
as the "Prince of Persia" has some people crying foul.

You know, I have to admit that I’ve never been particularly convinced of the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin simply because the supposed image of Jesus looks about as Jewish as I do. Indeed, it seems to reflect the artistic (and decidedly non-Semitic looking) depictions of Christ from much later times.

I was reminded of this when I read of the controversy surrounding the recently released film The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaul (left), an American actor who, despite his good looks, doesn’t look remotely Persian. As a result, I find myself agreeing with blogger and independent filmmaker Jehanzeb Dar, who says that the casting of Gyllenhall is “not only insulting to Persians, [but] also insulting to white people. It’s saying white people can't enjoy movies unless the protagonist is white.”

Following it that part of an Associated Press article that offers economic and historical perspectives on the “whitewashing” of both The Prince of Persia and another recent film, The Last Airbender.

2010 is a time of huge stakes in the movie business — when only a small fraction of the films that are released make the vast majority of the industry's profits, said economics professor Arthur De Vany, author of Hollywood Economics: How Extreme Uncertainty Shapes the Film Industry.

Because of the financial risk, studios try to control anything that goes into a movie before its release in an effort to maximize box office receipts — from the storyline to the cast to the marketing, De Vany explained.

“They’re trying to control the initial conditions of a chaotic process,” he said. “There’s only so much room at the top.”

During the era of segregation in this country, Hollywood routinely considered race when making and releasing a film. For example, actress Lena Horne, who died May 9 at 92, saw her parts in movies cut out when those films were shown in the South.

Over time, “it’s what has become habitual practice," said Chon Noriega, professor of cinema and media studies at UCLA. “I think it’s the default setting and it takes a conscious choice to change,” he said.

And here’s Sassy Qarla's take on the matter:

It surely isn't Jake Gyllenhaal's chiselled physique in the big budget film adaptation of a popular video game that's garnered disapproval.

You betcha! One of the season's most expensive film, Prince of Persia, has sparked quite an outrage in its offensive choice of casting.

The popular video game franchise based in ethnic parts, specifically ancient Iran, comprises characters with Middle Eastern features and darker skin. The film version meanwhile, chooses to cast White actors with stereotypical depictions from the region as being terrorists or religious zealots.

One who's evidently insulted with the increasing misconceptions of Hollywood, is independent filmmaker and blogger Jehanzeb Dar, 26, who's a player and loyal follower of the video game.

When Disney studios made an announcement regarding plans to create a live-action adaptation of Prince of Persia, Dar was quite hoping it would be a 'serious story' that would thwart stereotypes and false ideologies. But what came was a slap-in-the-face for the filmmaker, when none of the film's principal cast were of Iranian, Middle Eastern or Muslim descent. Especially the one tasked with filling in the shoes of hero Dastan, none other than Brokeback Mountain's Jake Gyllenhaal.

"It's insulting that people of color - especially Middle Easteners or South Asians- are not allowed to portray ourselves in these roles. That's a big problem a lot of people in the community are having with this film," remarks Dar.

It's not the first time Hollywood has sort of gotten away with it. There was John Wayne who portrayed legend Genghis Khan in The Conqueror, comedian Peter Sellers as the bumbling Indian in The Party, and not to forget Mickey Rooney's Mr. Yunioshi character from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Besides Gyllenhaal and British actress Gemma Aterton's portrayal of Iranian characters in the dagger-wielding action Prince of Persia, we have another big budget flick, The Last Airbender.

Producers of the film are on the brink of being boycotted by fans after learning that white actors are cast in three primary roles, which loyal followers of the Nickelodeon animated version insist are Asian and Native American.

Racial discrimination needs to be eliminated in all areas of our daily living. So wake up and get real, Hollywood!

For a round-up of reviews of The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, click here.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
What Muslims Want
Irene Khan: Shaking Things Up Down Under
Tariq Ali Discusses Rudyard Kipling