I agree entirely when the diverse casting is arbitrary and obviously artificial, mandated by the DEI commissars and designed to meet quota targets. When it is natural to the story and setting, it’s fine. One of the arts of screenwriting is to bend the story in such a way that minority characters — and remember, “minorities” will include whites before long — are present in naturalistic ways. The writers and casting directors can pull this off if they’re good. Or bungle it if they’re wokebots.
After Yang and Montana Story both have some interesting casting choices, but in both cases — at least to me — the diversity feels natural and unforced. The instance that stands out most obviously is “Ace” in Montana Story, a hospice nurse who is an immigrant from Kenya. (He goes by “Ace” because no one in Montana can pronounce his real name. ) Some reviews complain that he’s out of place. He doesn’t feel that way to me — but of course, when I go to see a doctor here in Washington, D.C., most of the medical staff is foreign. (Disproportinately from India but a lot of East Asians as well. I think the American kids today are mostly doing grievance studies, not STEM disciplines where they actually have to study hard.)
So how does a guy like Ace wind up in Montana? Well, you may remember the 1990’s tv show Northern Exposure, which is built around a wisecracking, hopelessly neurotic, young Jewish guy named Joel Fleischman, fresh out of medical school, who had committed to a period of service in Alaska after graduation in return for grant support for his med school tuition. Ace’s backstory is not sketched in detail, but I immediately saw him as another Joel Fleischman type.
I’ve never worked in rural health care, but I have done some work in adjacent fields. Many northern tier counties have been losing population for 60 years. The small towns are hollowing out. A few of the college educated young people will return to teach school or take over the family business or ranch, but most pursue better opportunities in the cities. Just keeping the rural schools open and staffed is hard. Healthcare systems are chronically short staffed. So they recruit. And recruit. And recruit. Immigrants? Heck yeah, bring ‘em on. Ace would have been a smart young kid from Kenya who came to the U.S. (legally) to finish his education, who took financial assistance where he could find it, and who jumped at the opportunity when he was offered a job, both to finance his schooling and probably as part of his path to citizenship. Unusual? Not at all.
But then again, I haven’t had an American born primary care physician in 40 years, and that’s in a big city.
And aside from Ace ... well, did you know there are Native Americans living in Montana? And they dress and act pretty much like everyone else? And most of them don’t live on reservations? And they work regular jobs like everyone else? And they’re often lifelong friends of the Anglo kids they grew up with? In the movie, they’re just there. Nothing is forced; it’s as natural as a suburban setting in which one neighbor is named Gyros Souvlaki and another is named Jerry Wienerschnitzel. Americans all. And nobody notices or cares. That’s how to do diversity right.
Mukki is another story. He’s a reservation guy. But they’re there as well in real life.
I have to admit I have had nothing but American born primary care physician every since I returned stateside.
It has not been a choice really but just the way it has happened. Mostly lived in medium size cities and small towns.
I am not saying your scenario would not happen but I find immigrants tend to stick to the big cities. Especially in Washington DC it is probably very different but out here in the sticks it is mostly American born of various flavors.