I don't get it ...

[fembuck]

The controversy over Jennifer Lawrence being cast as Katniss in Hunger Games is confusing the hell out of me.  Basically, people are saying that casting blonde, blue-eyed Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen is Hollywood white-washing at work, but I don't get it.

In the novel Katniss is described as having dark hair, grey-eyes and olive skin, while her mother and sister are described as grey-eyed, blonde's.  The family sounds fairly caucasian to me.  From the vague descriptions in the book it's impossible to tell what exact ethnicity Katniss is, but I think it's safe to say that she's not black, brown, asian or aboriginal, so the rage and indignance that is going on right now about the character being "white-washed" is so confusing to me.

The other actresses that are generally accepted to have been in the running for Katniss were:  Hailee Steinfeld (seems to be the fan favorite), Saoirse Ronan, Chloe Moretz, Lyndsy Fonseca, Emily Browning and Kaya Scodelario.

So... 

1) The novel leaves the character's ethnicity undefined, but generally she seems like a tan caucasian (Prim, her sister, being blonde an indicator of this imo, because if Katniss was part, black, asian, brown or aboriginal a blonde sister seems pretty unlikely). 

2)  All of the actresses in final consideration were caucasian.  If the list above really was who the casting directors had narrowed it down to, we would have ended up with a pretty pale Katniss, but even with slightly more olive skin (Steinfeld is the only one on that list who fits the description - and is the only one who's mixed), Katniss would still be white.

I don't see white-washing in Lawrence's casting.  I see Hollywood default casting at work here, but not 'white-washing'. 

They haven't changed Katniss's ethnicity because it was never clearly identified in the book. They just decided that because Katniss wasn't specified as being [insert ethnicity here] that they would cast a caucasian.  Suzanne Collins is happy about the casting of Lawrence.  She said she never thought they'd find someone so perfect for the role, so obviously she doesn't see the casting as white-washing or a misinterpretation of her vision.  And all of the actresses being considered for the role were pretty pale and/or blonde so it's unlikely we would have ended up with even a tan/olive skinned Katniss even if Lawrence hadn't been cast.

Is it right that Hollywood will generally just cast white unless they have to cast a person of colour?  No, absolutely not.  But as I understand the term 'white-washing', the Hunger Games casting really doesn't apply.  If they got Mortez to play Rue (a black 12 year old), I'd say you have an argument for white-washing there.  But Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss?  Ish don't think so.

No one denies that white-washing and race-switching is a problem in Hollywood movies, I just think that the casting of Jennifer Lawrence in this particular movie is a weak example to get into such a large snit about.  This is not The Last Airbender, Prince of Persia:The Sands of Time, or 21.

Comments

[trancer21.livejournal.com]

There's a good essay here that breaks down a bit more of the coding in the book. While the author doesn't state outright that Katniss is a character of color there are more than a few hints.

My biggest gripe isn't with *who* was cast (honestly, I probably won't see the movie till it shows up on torrents) but in the casting process itself which descriptively asked for 'white actresses only'. Which is way more damning and problematic than who was actually cast.

Is the current out roar a mountain out of a molehill? Maybe. But considering Hollywood's loooonnnggg history of whitewashing characters, how long do people have to scream in the darkness before Hollywood actually listens?

[fembuck.livejournal.com]

There's a good essay here that breaks down a bit more of the coding in the book.

That essay is interesting, but it is also almost completely focused on things that someone just reading the novel would never know (the history of intermarriage in the geographic region that District 12 is based in, the history of mixed kids being named after plants etc.) In the book only vague clues that would be beyond the average readers ability to pick up on are given. I'm not a genius, but I'm not a complete idiot either, and while reading the novel I pretty much pictured Katniss looking like Lyndsy Fonseca after hitting the beach. I didn't know about the regional history (and I don't think most readers would, especially non-American readers) so when I started seeing 'white-washing' articles I was genuinely surprised.

If Collins really wanted to present a mixed race heroine, and it was important to her for people to know that Katniss was mixed, she could have made it clear with very little extra effort, and should have. The person in that article you linked even said they had to go back and re-read to pick up on the clues, and as I said, those clues are obscure enough that reasonably intelligent people could miss them/not understand the significance of them (i.e. hunting with a bow and arrow just seemed smart to me, and I took Katniss as a metaphor instead of as an indication of cultural identity).

I think it's more likely that Collins just wanted an 'exotic' heroine (dark hair, light eyes, tanned skin). Mila Kunis probably cursed the fact that she's in her late 20s now, because she's the type that usually gets offered roles when characters are described that way.

The fact that Collins herself doesn't seem to have a problem with the casting, and indeed thinks that Lawrence is perfect for the role, also indicates to me that she wasn't too invested in the idea of Katniss actually being seen/understood to be mixed race.

but in the casting process itself which descriptively asked for 'white actresses only'. Which is way more damning and problematic than who was actually cast.

This, I didn't know about. And this IS something to get up in arms about and hate on intensely. I didn't realize that they had basically banned anyone who wasn't white from reading for the part. That is ... I don't have words to describe how angry that makes me.

However, I'm still confused because a lot of the people complaining about Lawrence's casting LOVE Steinfeld and wanted her to be cast so ... the fans don't really seem upset that only white actresses were allowed to read (I've just learned that Stienfeld is actually mixed, she's half Filipino but I've never seen the people clamoring for her mention that so I'm assuming most of them don't know). Most fans seem upset that it was this particular white actress who was cast.

In the threads I've read about white-washing, I haven't actually seen someone suggest a non-white actress for the role (other than the people who just write that 'an unknown' should have been cast, and even that seems to indicate they just wish it wasn't Lawerence). THIS is really what is confusing to me.

But considering Hollywood's loooonnnggg history of whitewashing characters, how long do people have to scream in the darkness before Hollywood actually listens?

I totally think white-washing, white-default casting, and race-switching is a HUGE problem in Hollywood. I'm just saying that I don't quite get why this particular film and this particular role are getting so much heat considering that you have to be a historian or an expert on regional demographics in America to even prove/understand that there has been white-washing.

Hollywood needs to hear people roar, and things need to change, I just think this is a strange choice to rally around.