This new Tumblr project is editing your favorite movies to let non-white actors speak and it’s pissing Hollywood off.
A new Tumblr project entitled Every Single Word is editing some of our favorite mainstream and indie movies of recent years to call out Hollywood’s decision to rarely ever cast non-white actors.
The project’s creator Dylan Marron cuts out the Caucasian actors in films ranging from Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan to Nicole Holofcener’s Enough Said in order to narrow down each movie to only the parts in which people of color speak.
For example, here’s Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’:
These newly-edited short films often run for less than a minute, but the point is clear: these roles are small and these actors are basically background extras.
It is important to point out that the majority of the movies highlighted so far were directed by white, male directors. One such movie, ‘Noah’ was called out for white washing the cast by not casting a single non-white actor for a movie that is set in Africa.
This has pissed several entertainers in Hollywood off. The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg slyly hijacked an interview with Jason Schwartzman to call out the notoriously ivory-inclining casting choices of the actor’s frequent collaborator Wes Anderson, whose Moonrise Kingdom has already received the Every Single Word treatment to embarrassing effect.
It is an extremely sad day to know that an Oscar-winning actor has to actually print out her resume to grab the attention of one of the film industry’s most sought after directors.
But, if you think it’s terrible for Whoopi Goldberg, think about the tens of thousands of other aspiring non-white actors who are unable to audition for meaningful roles because directors are simply not interested.
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