Gerard Depardieu sparks race row after he 'blacks up' to play author Alexandre Dumas

dailymail.co.uk ^ | Feb. 19, 2010 | Peter Allen

[TheThirdRuffian]

Having a black person play the part would ignore the white heritage of the author.

He’s “mixed race.”

Seems almost any given white or black actor would have to be either darkened or lightened.

[max americana]

[Daveinyork]

I read a novelization of the live of Dumas that was written in the 1950’s. It was entitled “The King of Paris.” When reading it, I piduted James Earl Jones playing the part of Dumas, but only because of the way that Dumas was portrayed in novel. There is no reason the part has to be played by either a white man or a black man. Can’t just get past this race thing? The craft of acting is to be able to pretend to be someone else. Charleton Heston is not Jewish, but he played Moses and Judah ben Hur. Omar Shariff is not Russian, but he played Dr. Zhivago.

[Liberty Valance]

I question the timing of this 'race row'. Isn't car burning season just around the corner there?

[fish hawk]

Excuse me but I thought that the job of an actor was to play other people. Color has nothing to do with it. Marlon Brando payed an oriental in “Tea House of the August Moon and Alec Guinnes played a Japanese in one of his movies. He also played an Arab in Lawrence of Arabia as did Anthony Quinn. If they pull it off, they are considered great actors. Let's face it, this whole thing is because it is about a man with Black blood. Any other race would not even be mentioned. Frankly I'm getting sick of this crybaby race crap. Hey, I'm American Indian and I didn't see anything wrong with Jeff Chandler playing Cochise or Charles Bronson playing Indian in more than one movie. I thought they did a very good job.

[Clemenza]

I for one am angry at George Raft, Edward G. Robinson, and James Caan for playing Italians in the movies.

Dumas was a quadroon, which made him 1/4 black. I see no issue here.

[Clemenza]

The amazing thing is that Charles Bronson was of Crimean Tatar parentage, who are themselves “of color” per most Russians. His Tatar features allowed him to pass for Mexican or American Indian I guess.

[TypeZoNegative]

That guy looks like a Frenchman that went apple bobbing in cinnamon sugar. I guess this is white people’s revenge for
“The Honeymooners” movie.

[TypeZoNegative]

What Alexandre Dumas looks like. The guy looks like a really light skinned version of my dad when he was alive. My dad's side of the family also has considerable French heritage.

[rollo tomasi]

[bjc]

You mean Sir Laurence Olivier and almost everyone else who played Othello were racists? Jeez, who would have guessed.

[fish hawk]

“Chato’s Land”, one of his best Indian movies and one of my favorites. Jack Palance was also great in that movie.

[Spudx7]

Isn’t this just like how every Native American character in old westerns was played by a white guy in a wig and lots of make-up?

[junta]

My very German grandfather looked alot like Fred Sandford, and yes I was the “big dummy.” Note, any race riots or any type of riots aimed at me or my family will be met with very accurate fire from my Eagle Arms AR-15, and yes I will enjoy doing so, word.

[stormer]

“Hopefully I'll die before they figure out my real name is Espera Oscar de Corti and I'm Sicilian from Louisiana.”

[DannyTN]

"Seems almost any given white or black actor would have to be either darkened or lightened."

I say we let Maria Carey play the part.

[DannyTN]

"Seems almost any given white or black actor would have to be either darkened or lightened."

I say we let Maria Carey play the part.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Kenneth Branagh gave the role of the Italian Prince “Don Pedro” to Denzel Washington back in 1993 with Keanu Reeves playing his brother “Don John” in “Much Ado About Nothing”.

That was 17 years ago!

This story is much ado about nothing.

[VA_Gentleman]

Robert Downey Jr. is one of my favorite actors. His ability to pull of that role in such convincing fashion was amazing. I hope he continues to stay clean.