Hollywood Fading

I saw this blog posting about the career of Chiwetel Ejiofor based on this article in the Guardian and after reading it, I have a broader question about the state of Hollywood in general with respect to actors of color. Why the fade out?

The Guardian author suggests that race is not a factor and cites the stuck-in-neutral careers of Naomi Watts and Eric Bana as evidence that the real culprit might be the American film audience (read: we aren't that sophisticated to know and appreciate talent when we see it). OK, that could be true, but Naomi Watts has been off having babies for the last couple of years and that is certain to slow down a film career. And Eric Bana regrettably starred in the first Hulk movie and I am sure that did him no favors. As for Ejiofor, who has consistently been great in every film I've seen with him in it, there are no alternative explanations why he has not become a star except that he is not: (a) under 25; (b) starring in vampire/werewolf teen flicks; or (c) white and waif-like.

(OK, Naomi nor Eric fit any of these either. But read on.)

Ejiofor just might not be star material at this point in his career. Some of the best actors are character actors who enjoyed long careers, so I am not knocking the fact that he might be attempting to build a solid Don Cheadle/DelRoy Lindo supporting "black guy" actor resume. Let's be honest--that is exactly how Morgan Freeman and Samuel L. Jackson got to be A-listers. When the casting calls went out for "a black guy" they always fit the bill. No, Cheadle, Lindo, and most of the others have not made it to Morgan Freeman status yet, but Freeman didn't actually get there until he was almost 70, so there is still time...

Not that the path for other actors of color is any easier. Among Latino actors, Jimmy Smits is probably the biggest TV star and Martin Sheen is definitely the biggest movie star--which would be great if Sheen didn't pass for white in most of his roles. But then again, the other supporting "Latino guy" actors, Edward James Olmos and Hector Elizondo, have had to pass now and then too in order to get regular work, so that might just be part of the deal. As for Asian actors, the best I can think of are John Cho and Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar).

Let's not even go there when it comes to actresses of color because it is even more obvious that there is not much for them. Women generally fare poorly in Hollywood regardless of ethnicity. And no, Madea does not count!

So now that the issue has identified and endlessly debated, what are the solutions? The biggest non-white star in Hollywood is Denzel Washington (who is still fine at 55), but dang someone needs to give that brother a break. Will Smith might be in contention, but let's be honest, Will chooses lousy projects and is more likely to have a career in the mold of Bruce Willis. (Not that there is anything wrong with being an action movie star, but Willis' last movie found him playing straight man to Tracy Morgan...Brian Fellow for goodness sakes!)

Perhaps the problem is that we keep looking for the next black/Latino/Asian superstar when we really just need more opportunity all around for leading and supporting actors (and writers, producers, directors, casting agents, etc.) of color period. Ejiofor gets solid suporting roles because in the mind of the casting directors, he is good enough for them to overlook his race, so he gets that next part--the anti-hero, the sidekick, the "also starring" credit. He is tall, charismatic, British (!) and that gets him work on both sides of the pond, which is miles ahead of just about every other up and coming Morgan Freeman in the business.

The thing about Hollywood is that certain actors have seasons and as such, actors of color are simply not in season at this point. Who ever thought that Mickey Rourke would ever be a star again, so it is possible that actors like Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Jeffrey Wright, Benico de Torro, and Russell Wong will get their chance. (And I'm sorry that I cannot even identify any other male actors of color who aren't black...kind of proves my point in a way).