Well yes, this particular case has a built in justification. However, the stink raised over the dark skinned hobbit was completely silly, as was making the Avatar movie with an all white cast. Also, somebody mentioned the recent BBC adaptation of Robin Hood. While I understand that part of the myth is that Robin fought in the crusades, I agree with the person who said it was odd that Friar Tuck of all people was black; okay, fine, you got a Saracen to join your band. Why is he a Christian priest, again?ChromeAlchemist said:As I said above, I very much agree, but Thor and friends are pretty much aliens, and not hovering above the clouds of Scandinavia, which is why they got away with it. This isn't based on Norse Mythology, it's based on Marvel lore.Owyn_Merrilin said:This is pretty much the way I look at it. When it comes to casting, either for theater or film, looking the part is a big part of it. In my highschool play, Tiny Tim wound up being taller than his own father, because of the way the part was cast. While it worked, it was because we played it with a sense of humor, and also because, you know, it was a highschool play. But can anyone here honestly say they could handle a straight-faced Hollywood adaptation of A Christmas Carol with a six foot tall Tiny Tim? As far as race goes, if it's an integral part of the character, I'm sorry, but people who don't match the description probably shouldn't apply. Would people start complaining about racism if a black man were turned down for the role of Adolf Hitler in World War II movie? What about having Martin Luther King Jr. played by a white man in a movie about the civil rights era? At some point, you have to accept that looking the part does factor in to casting decisions, and there's nothing racist about it.
Edit: Point being, I hope what the actor said about future roles that are specifically made for a given race being given to members of other races doesn't come true, at least not on a wide scale, because it's silly political correctness at the expense of accurate casting, and it goes deeper than race; as I said, 6 foot tall Tiny Tim.