Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Agent apologises for saying casting call for black, Asian or minority ethnic-only actors ‘stinks’
The Stage ^ | May 4, 2018 | Matthew Hemley

Posted on 05/08/2018 6:11:17 PM PDT by EdnaMode

A theatre agent has apologised for a comment she made in a private forum that criticised a casting call for only black, Asian or minority ethnic actors and claiming the decision put “talented white performers out of work”.

Gemma Hamilton, who runs Lowy Hamilton Artists, made the remarks in a forum on Facebook, in which she said she was “bored of breakdowns asking for BAME actors” because it “adds that va-va-voom to the cast list”.

“And now I see a breakdown for BAME-only that are actor/musos. It’s putting talented ‘white’ performers out of work. I think it stinks,” she wrote.

Her remarks were met with heavy criticism from the theatre community, including actor Shobna Gulati, formerly in Coronation Street and soon to be in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, who said the casting breakdown was about “opening up the playing field that historically is mostly non-inclusive”.

“Now I welcome initiatives where actors like me, of colour, are also considered, I am disappointed that you can’t see the value of opportunity for all,” she wrote.

Actor Alexia Khadime said she was “saddened and offended that this would come from an agent who I can only assume has many different races on their books”, while writer Jonathan Harvey added he was “sick of seeing all-white casts on screen or stage”.

“It doesn’t match the world I live in. And yet it’s ubiquitous. The world on screen or stage should surely match ours,” he said.

Hamilton responded to the criticisms claiming she was “devastated” and that her comments had been taken out of context.

“I was actually trying to express how all actors should be considered equal regardless of their ethnicity. We have a plethora of talented actors of all ethnicities and want them to have the same opportunities,” she said.

She added: “I absolutely do apologise for the wording used and [it was] entirely not how I meant it to sound but I was posting to a private group who know my character. I agree we have a long way to go and actors should always be cast on their talent as opposed to their appearance.”


TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Chit/Chat; Society
KEYWORDS: actors; antiwhiteracism; bame; civilrights; discrimination; england; gemmahamilton; greatbritain; hamilton; london; lowyhamilton; neednotapply; nowhitesallowed; racism; reverseracism; theater; theatre; uk; waronwhites
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-57 next last
Theatre agent Gemma Hamilton has been attacked for saying actors should be hired based on talent and not race.
1 posted on 05/08/2018 6:11:17 PM PDT by EdnaMode
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode
Does Gemma know about this?

Oh, the irony!

2 posted on 05/08/2018 6:15:11 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode
WWAD
(What would Apu Do?


3 posted on 05/08/2018 6:17:44 PM PDT by outofsalt (If history teaches us anything it's that history rarely teaches us anything.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

Yup, I thought of Hamilton too.


4 posted on 05/08/2018 6:17:57 PM PDT by EdnaMode
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

If you say it, you have to he prepared to defend it

The leftist mob preys on weakness


5 posted on 05/08/2018 6:20:01 PM PDT by PGR88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

Matt Damon got slapped down a couple of years ago for something similar. He was involved in a talent search for young producers. When he wanted the most talented kid to be chosen, he was told, “no, we’re picking the black kid”. When he argued that the other kid had the most talent, he got slapped down, and overruled. I think some of Hollywood is not as liberal as they make out. It’s chicken s#*t, but they don’t want to lose work. I’m not defending them for that; I just think it’s true.


6 posted on 05/08/2018 6:20:45 PM PDT by Flaming Conservative ((Pray without ceasing))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

Oh great, I learned a new acronym that means “Whitey need not apply.”
BAME.


7 posted on 05/08/2018 6:23:50 PM PDT by GnuThere
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

I have noticed the extreme imbalance of minorities on shows and especially ads.

A couple on nights ago, I noticed that 3 out of four characters in one ad were Black. I then decided to keep score until the program came on. Of the next 23 characters shown in ads, 18 were Black. I know that is not scientific and it is probably not that bad overall but it is tremendously skewed to Blacks.

They should be just over 1 in 10 if we go by census records. The other thing they are clearly pushing is inter racial couples. I saw an ad for Direct TV and the couple were mixed race, then I saw one for Dish Network their competitor and it too had a mixed race couple. I forget which one but it had a Black female throwing a White Male’s possessions out on the sidewalk.

This is not happening by accident. They are selling a lot more than the product which pays them.


8 posted on 05/08/2018 6:28:44 PM PDT by yarddog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: yarddog

Just the opposite for Home Security ads...
All the perps in those ads are white...


9 posted on 05/08/2018 6:34:22 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: yarddog

I hate to say it, but we have built our entire legal system on “some are more equal than others”.

It has been allowed to become the way things are done. There are huge sections of America that get preferential treatment. Sex. Race. Sexual preferences.

That was (maybe) one time long ago, maybe called for. It is not called for now.

It is time to abolish all legal preferences. ALL of them.

For anyone. For anything.

Treat everyone the same.

END RACIAL AND SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION.

Now.


10 posted on 05/08/2018 6:35:56 PM PDT by cba123 ( Toi la nguoi My. Toi bay gio o Viet Nam.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: yarddog
The other thing they are clearly pushing is inter racial couples.

Yes. That seems to have started not too long ago with some cereal adverts. Marketing people are herd creatures as well

The other clear thing is they will never put a black in a position of inferiority, particularly if a commercial is meant to be funny. They will never be the butt of the joke.

11 posted on 05/08/2018 6:38:07 PM PDT by PGR88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

Recently in London I’ve seen Harry Potter and the Cursed Child where Hermione and her child are black, I’ve recently seen Chess where two Russians were black (and one of the black Russians’ child was white), a King Lear where one of his three daughters was black, and a play where two British guys in WWII were Indian. But it doesn’t go the other way.

And don’t let me start about the female “doctor” who.


12 posted on 05/08/2018 6:39:19 PM PDT by Moonmad27
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Moonmad27

Hollywood wants to make “James Bond” a black guy...


13 posted on 05/08/2018 6:45:53 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: GnuThere

So, I suppose the NO IRISH rules are back in style. Just apply them to everyone who has Irish color skin.


14 posted on 05/08/2018 6:46:13 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: JBW1949

I always felt the name JAMES BOND was the official title of the position and not the agent’s real name.


15 posted on 05/08/2018 6:47:47 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

I read an article on FR where a rep from Google was boasting that the home office hasn’t hired a white or Asian for 2 years in hopes of achieving their diversity goals.
How many hours of news time would that article have generated if he replaced the word white with black? And how many cities would have been torched to the ground? But since he’s discriminating against the “right” people, who cares, right?


16 posted on 05/08/2018 6:48:47 PM PDT by ThomasNast (2350)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EdnaMode

It not only “stinks” it’s blatantly illegal.


17 posted on 05/08/2018 6:49:41 PM PDT by Jack Hammer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

Yes, just hold up a white potato to screen them.
So sick of this overt persecution of white people.


18 posted on 05/08/2018 6:51:34 PM PDT by GnuThere
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

????


19 posted on 05/08/2018 6:53:25 PM PDT by JBW1949 (I'm really PC....PATRIOTICALLY CORRECT!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Ruy Dias de Bivar

In the Bond books, James Bond is his real name. The only nom de plume is 007.

Also Felix Leiter is a red head. They have already made him Black, next will be Bond himself. His Father is Scottish and Mother, Swiss. I guess those two mixed turn out black. He also has straight black hair. Well at least the black is right.


20 posted on 05/08/2018 6:53:30 PM PDT by yarddog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-57 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson