Hobbit Casting Agent Fired For Dismissing Non-White Hobbits

[Elizabeth Grunewald]

Hobbit Casting Agent Fired For Dismissing Non-White Hobbits

A casting director for The Hobbit independently decided that the women of Middle Earth are all Caucasian. The individual has since been fired.

Peter Jackson's Hobbit has been plagued with woes ranging from ballooning budgets and distribution disputes to directors quitting and unions getting mad. The film finally appears to be under way, though, and is casting for extra hobbits. Until recently, the casting calls specified that female hobbits must be light-skinned. The crew member who sent out those calls did it without any instruction, and has since been sacked.

Agence France-Presse reports "video footage showed the casting agent telling people at the audition: 'We are looking for light-skinned people. I'm not trying to be -- whatever. It's just the brief. You've got to look like a hobbit.' The agent also placed a classified advertisement in the Bay of Plenty Times listing essential requirements for potential hobbits, including age, 16-80, and height -- below 170 cm (5 foot 7 inches) for men and 158cm (5ft 2in) for women. The additional demand for light skin tones applied only to women.' Naz Humphreys, a woman of Pakistani heritage, waited three hours in line, only to be told that she would not be considered for casting. Humphreys was understandably outraged, saying "It's 2010 and I still can't believe I'm being discriminated against because I have brown skin."

A spokesperson for Wingnut Films, Peter Jackson's production company, informed AFP that the casting agent had been fired, emphasizing "no such instructions were given, the crew member in question took it upon themselves to do that and it's not something we instructed or condoned."

Source: New York Times ArtsBeat Blog [http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hOyqeJxRhgUJ8i5JDeoOum67fAlA?docId=CNG.aa68d93683d032809203948d4e74d46e.351]

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[The_root_of_all_evil]

While I disagree with the idea of racism, aren't all the Tooks lightskinned anyway?

I mean, I've no problem with there being Asian-descent Stoutfellows, but Bilbo et al are all meant to be near anaemic.

 

[Fasckira]

I get the impression the agent has been fired to save PR. Hobbits are all white, simple as - its not a racist thing but a point of fact. I mean if you really wanted to start getting technical its all done to where they sit in middle earth, based on the weather conditions and so on. Its the same reason why you wouldnt see any black dwarfs or elfs either.

 

[GiantRedButton]

Thats kinda stupid o. O
Even if they don't give a shit about the book, everyone who watched Lotr still knows the skin colour of the Tooks.
Funny thing though. If a white guy would play a character that is meant to be black they would immediatly be accused of white washing , but this is apparently ok.

 

[Waif]

As far as I am aware. The original books of J.R. Tolkien never had any colored hobbits. I don't think this is discrimination based on prejudice, rather, keeping to the original spirit of the novel. Naz Humphreys appears to be playing the race card, and it was easily predicted that she would do so. The ironic part of it is, that in by forcing your skin color into a fictional culture whereas such a provision was never made, is racist in itself. It does not respect the cultural heritage of the native hobbit. Maybe just ethnocentric?

 

[Mrsoupcup]

Well I'm no fan of racism, but I though hobbits were light skinned? Well whatever, as long as the movie is as epic as the rest I could care less about who's what race.

 

[electric discordian]

Do you mean I could have kicked up a fuss when Samuel L Jackson beat me to the punch for the role of Shaft? I knew I could have done a better job that Morgan Freeman in Invictus as well!

Once again people unsuitable for a role go in for it and then complain because they are turned down! It's not racism it's simple casting, oh and if you want to level the racism gun at Tolkein how about all the Orcs being Black and all the heroes being White apart from Sauruman.

 

[Vrach]

I get the impression the agent has been fired to save PR. Hobbits are all white, simple as - its not a racist thing but a point of fact.

^This. That's a pile of shit, I really hate this racism bandwagon everyone seems to be jumping on. Discriminating by height is fine but discriminating by skin colour is racist? Fuck off.

 

[Jodah]

This is almost as bad as people complaining that Kinect is racist because it picks up light colors better. If people stop complaining about race, race won't be an issue. Most people have moved beyond race already, people just keep bringing it up pointlessly.

 

[JDKJ]

So, what? Does this mean that in the interest of equal opportunity employment they aren't gonna cast some Jewish guy as Gollum? That's ridiculous! Everyone knows that Gollum's Jewish.

 

[Scars Unseen]

On the one hand, racial discrimination is bad. On the other hand, I doubt I would have much luck getting a role in a Hong Kong action flick.

Middle Earth isn't a cultural melting pot.

 

[Secret world leader (shhh)]

Oh yeah? Well I Waited FOUR Hours in line to audition for the main role in a docu-drama on the life of Barack Obama. Shit happens,OK?

It's the year 2010 and I'm still being denied roles that were specifically specified to be Black because of my skin colour, YOU RASCIST BASTARDS!

 

[Thyunda]

I think the general agreement here is that this is a load of shit.
But really, Humphreys? 2010 and you're being discriminated against because you have brown skin.
Didn't people get mad because the Prince of Persia wasn't Persian? I suppose if we'd have turned him down, we'd be racist, eh?
Somehow, I don't think you'll agree with me.

 

[Fumbleumble]

I'm pleasantly surprised by the reactions to this post, I expected to read a bunch of comments abouts it being right to sack the guy and that we should have rainbow Hobbits.

Yep, Hobbits are white.. Tolkien wasn't being rascist.. he just didn't write about ethnic Hobbits, and for source reasons they should be portrayed a white.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

hobbits are light-skinned
someone else made the comment that they wouldnt hire a pudgy short white man to play Malcolm X. is that racist? no, its because he doesnt fit the character

i wish people like us who had common sense had more media attention so our backlash would actually make people give a damn

but all people see is "racism". sigh... again. people are dipshits

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

So, what? Does this mean that in the interest of equal opportunity employment they aren't gonna cast some Jewish guy as Gollum? That's ridiculous! Everyone knows that Gollum's Jewish.

Ahem, that's Golem you're thinking of. Golem is Jewish, Gollum is named after his own vocal sounds.

 

[The Hairminator]

Whoa, this is bullshit. The fact that middle earth was all but completely devoid of black people (except the evildoers and pirates in the south) does NOT mean they have to be forced into roles just for the sake of racial equality where it does not fit or even make sense.

 

[Woodsey]

Fucking load of mother fucking horse shit. If they did a film about Africa and they where asked to find Africans it wouldn't be racist. THIS IS FUCKING HORSESHIT. You need white people to play the hobbit you need fucking black people to play black people.

You're not being discriminated against, if discrimination is such a big problem for you why don't you fuck off back to Africa I'll even pay for your fucking ticket.

Whilst I agree that if Hobbits are always described as white then it makes sense to have that in the outlines (I didn't know they were, but whatever), the way you've put across your point - and especially the sentiment in your last 2 lines - leave the impression that you're a total pig.

I would go over the whole thing about how you can be black (or any colour) and British but I get the feeling my virtual breath would be wasted.

OT: I think the issue seems to arise from the man having done this himself when perhaps the director/producer's intention was to simply have multi-racial Hobbits (burn them, they're deviating from the books ever-so-slightly, etc.).

 

[Elburzito]

On the one hand, racial discrimination is bad. On the other hand, I doubt I would have much luck getting a role in a Hong Kong action flick.

Middle Earth isn't a cultural melting pot.

This. Every little thing nowadays is considered 'racist'. Tolkien based the Hobbits on the stereotypical British townsfolk, which, like it or not, are fair skinned, not dark.

Fucking load of mother fucking horse shit. If they did a film about Africa and they where asked to find Africans it wouldn't be racist. THIS IS FUCKING HORSESHIT. You need white people to play the hobbit you need fucking black people to play black people.

You're not being discriminated against, if discrimination is such a big problem for you why don't you fuck off back to Africa I'll even pay for your fucking ticket.

Try not to swear so much! You can easily make your point without heinous writing!

 

[Casual Shinji]

This is just damage control, they're still going to cast white people only.

And you know why? Because LoTR is set in a medievil European setting. Guess how many Pakinstanis where living in Europe back in those days...