"All I know it suits Tom Sawyer."

[tzikeh]

As many of you probably know, The Hunger Games is the hot project in the pipeline in Hollywood right now. This excellent YA trilogy's main character is a sixteen-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen. She is a strong, savvy, practical, intelligent, capable young woman who had to grow up too fast, and does the very best she can with the shitty hand her family was dealt. Here is how author Suzanne Collins describes Katniss (in Katniss' own thoughts) in the first few pages of the book:

I watch as Gale pulls out his knife and slices the bread. He could be my brother. Straight black hair, olive skin, we even have the same gray eyes. But we're not related, at least not closely. Most of the families who work the mines resemble one another this way. (emphasis mine)

That's why my mother and Prim (sister), with their light hair and blue eyes, always look out of place. (emphasis mine)

So here we have (from what we know just in these first few pages) a place where people who have dark hair, olive skin, and grey eyes are the majority, and those with blonde-and-blue-eyed coloring are clearly in a very small minority.

I've been working with middle- and high-school students a lot recently. The Hunger Games books are huge in the YA world. Many of the adolescent Latinas who are reading/have read the book get very excited when they note that Suzanne Collins created a heroine who "looks like me"--and several of them go one observation further by pointing out that this girl who looks like them is the main character in a novel that is aimed at the mainstream YA audience, and not at the YA Ethnic niche. (The students don't put it in those terms, but that's what they mean.)

I think we can all agree that, when adapting novels to the screen, if the characters are described in the book, it's not always the case that the features and coloring of the actor need to be to-the-letter the same as the character. But, given that description, I think it's fair to say that actress cast as Katniss ought not to be the clichéd All-American Girl.

Ladies and gentlemen,



But seriously, who gives a fuck what these kids see when they go to the movie. Why can't they just admire Katniss for how awesome she is, AMIRITE?

Source: Variety.

Comments

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

Fail.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

So much fail.

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

Isn't Hollywood supposed to be...what's the word? Better? Smarter? It's late. I can't think of what I want to say. But you get the idea, I hope.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Isn't Hollywood supposed to be...what's the word? Better? Smarter?

Depends who you talk to. Hollywood? They'll tell you that they're the most progressive people alive.

Anyone who has any critical faculties? Nope; not so much of that opinion.

[surreal-44.livejournal.com]

Anyone who has any critical faculties? Nope; not so much of that opinion.

I'm still learning, but I'm getting there. :-)

[introductory.livejournal.com]

This may sound pretty stupid, but how much input do authors generally have when they have their books turned into films? Does it depend on the contract, I suppose?

*is half asleep and boggling at this*

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Authors, as a rule, have zero control over casting a movie based on their books. I know Rowling did have a say with the Harry Potter films, but she is the 800-pound-gorilla who proves the rule. Most authors sell the rights to the story to the studio, and that's where their involvement ends.

[introductory.livejournal.com]

Ouch. That's pretty awful. :( Thanks for the info, that's rough. If I were the author of any of the three million whitewashed movies that's come out lately, I'd be pitching a massive fit.

*can't remember the last time he saw a movie with an Asian lead that wasn't about the yakuza*

[quatre_k.livejournal.com]

the least they could have done was cast a brunette actress sheesh

[irisbleufic.livejournal.com]

Who is that, even?

*would like to break something*

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Her name is Jennifer Lawrence, and she was just nominated for Best Actress in Winter's Bone. She was very, very good.

That, in no way, excuses this BULLSHIT.

[misspamela.livejournal.com]

SIGH. I thought Hailee Steinfeld was the big name being thrown around right now?

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

She was. Jennifer Lawrence surged ahead.

[aurora]

Me too. :( Dammit, I was very pleased with HS possibly kicking ass in this movie.

[usakeh.livejournal.com]

1. I really want to read that series; everybody seems to be recommending it to me.

2. I'm even more psyched, as someone of mixed race (Mexican/American), now that I know that the main character is a PoC.

3. WTF HOLLYWOOD? First Avatar: The Last Airbender and now this? Seriously? Seriously? I mean, I adore blondes and think the girl they've chosen is smoking hot, but totally ignoring the real ethnicity of the characters is just so wrong.

Thanks for bringing this all to my attention!

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

They haven't chosen her yet, but she's the frontrunner right now, and an announcement will be made in the next few weeks.

[tinylegacies.livejournal.com]

Ugh ugh ugh

Last I heard, they wanted to go with an unknown for Katniss. I really hope they go that route instead of hiring a blonde.

[slb44.livejournal.com]

This doesn't surprise me in the least. Hollywood just doesn't get it!

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Not again. ::facepalm::

[kumquatweekend.livejournal.com]

OH FER CRYIN' OUT LOUD.

... maybe she's not a natural blonde?

[kerri]

Sigh. I just... They just don't get it. I'm not sure they ever will.

[cereta.livejournal.com]

Aaaaaand here we go again.

[wemblee.livejournal.com]

Wish I could be surprised. :(

[the-shoshanna.livejournal.com]

*aims icon at Hollywood*

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

The only consolation I can get from this is that I'm prety sure that's not her natural hair color.

Yeah, I'm reaching.

[(Anonymous)]

Devo here from iPhone which won't let me log on. Another example in the scifi channel Earthsea casting tradition -- Obliterating LeGuin's very deliberate use of a brown-skinned character.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know -- and Avatar, and many others.

ARGH

[tingler.livejournal.com]

At least she has grey eyes? Maybe they'll dye her hair? Otherwise, WTF?

[furies.livejournal.com]

stupid. also, katniss is supposed to be dumb in front of cameras. that girl does not look like she can pull that off. she looks far too media aware. also, i think she looks too old.

not like that stopped anyone before.

this is why, as a rule, i pretty much hate all movie adaptations of books. because now when anyone reads harry potter, they see daniel and emma and rupert, which is okay, except that CHILDREN NEED TO HAVE IMAGINATIONS TOO. i am sure the peeta in my head looks different from yours, and that's part of what makes reading so cool!

(really, i have a whole rant on how i think we are not allowing/encouraging children to not use their imaginations anymore . . . so sad.)

[(Anonymous)]

I've a friend whose book Luminous is *finally* coming out this year. Her main character is Latina and she's was driven half mad just trying to make sure they didn't "whitewash" as she put it, her cover. I know they normally have to sell the rights outright, but I wish authors kept some veto power.