Wednesday, March 7, 2012

She can sing, but can she act? Why exactly is Rihanna starring in Battleship instead of any number of actual black actresses?

I am not the first person to bring this up.  Heck, Samuel L. Jackson went on a mini-tirade about this a decade ago, regards to male actors.  But in a day-and-age where meaty roles for black actresses are incredibly scarce, especially in big-budget studio films, it has to be a little grating for the many underemployed African American actresses to see one of the bigger female-minority roles in a major summer tent-pole this year going to not a trained thespian, but a media-friendly musician of thus-far unknown acting capabilities.  Rihanna (full name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty) may indeed have the chops to convincingly play battle-ready Petty Officer Raikes who helps Taylor Kitsch fend off an alien invasion in Peter Berg's Battleship.  But one has to ask why a popular musician with absolutely no acting experience whatsoever got the prime gig ahead of any number of African American actresses who have struggled with the glass ceiling that exists in the industry.

For a list of actresses that could have used the exposure, just check out the roster for any Tyler Perry film.  Pundits and critics may scowl, but Perry is the only writer/director who consistently writes meaty dramatic and/or comedic roles for African American actresses, so it's no wonder that the best of them often find themselves on his call-sheet.  The likes of Sanna Lathan, Zoe Kravitz, Naturi Naughton, Tika Sumpter, Tessa Thompson, Meagan Good, Monique Coleman, or (my personal pick) Keke Palmer all could have filled the bill.  And that's not counting the likes of Thandie Newton, Kerry Washington, or Sharon Leal who have the chops to rise above the seemingly silly source material but would arguably struggle to convincingly play a 20-year old Navy officer.  But even Perry has stumbled in this sense from time to time, casting Janet Jackson in three of his projects (she was the weakest actress in both Why Did I Get Married? films as well as the weak link in For Colored Girls), and he is allegedly casting tabloid/reality starlet Kim Kardashian in a small role in The Marriage Counselor.  This isn't even a case like Will Smith, who toiled in several low-profile projects (Six Degrees of Separation, Where the Day Takes You) that honed his acting abilities while spending six years on a popular sitcom before being cast in a starring role in Michael Bay's Bad Boys.  This is a well-regarded musician (I don't follow music, but people who do assure me she's the real thing) who has been given a plum role in a major action franchise either because someone at Universal thought her popularity could put butts in the seats or because those involved in casting didn't actually know of any other black actresses who might fill the role.      

This isn't a problem that only affects actresses of color, but when roles for this specific demographic are so scarce, it only sticks out more when a major opportunity is given not to a trained actress but to a media-friendly musician who seems to be doing just fine in her 'day job'.  In fact, when you look at a list of minority actresses who are considered 'stars' or achieved cross-over mainstream success, a weirdly large number of them (Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Janet Jackson, Beyonce Knowles, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, etc) either started out as musicians or are primarily known for their musical careers.  It's hard enough for any working actor to break out among the thousands of struggling wanna-be stars in Hollywood, harder still for actors who aren't of the white/male demographic.  But for females who aren't Caucasian, it seems that it's easier to achieve mainstream movie stardom by winning a Grammy or two before you even try to win an Oscar.  For the record, Rihanna is not to blame for this industry-wide pattern, and anyone in her shoes would be foolish to turn down such an opportunity.  But I cannot help but wonder if the reason she got the gig is because director Peter Berg (who I'm generally a fan of) couldn't think of any actual black actresses who met the physical criteria for the role and didn't bother to actually look for any.  A starring role in a likely worldwide smash like Battleship is the opportunity of a lifetime for any fledgling actress, especially one from a racial minority.  It's a shame the role didn't actually go to an actress.

Scott Mendelson

17 comments:

Heather said...

I don't think Jennifer Lopez is considered African American. Her parents are Puerto Rican so I'm assuming she's considered Hispanic. Nitpicky I know but.

JamesK said...

Nitpicky nothing, Heather. Since when is a Latina considered African-American?

Also, Rihanna is from Barbados?

In the end, though, I agree with your actual point, Scott. It's just a shame you meandered your way to the point with a lot of falsities.

Scott Mendelson said...

I have no defense other than that I was too fixated on the person I was referring to (who is half-Barbadian and half-Guyanese and is generally considered 'black' in popular culture at large) and attempting to toss in as many 'relevant' examples as I could and neglected to check the ethnicity of each person cited. Ironically, my attempt to be 'PC' (IE - writing African-American instead of 'black' or 'actresses of color' backfired as I ended up appearing to make a generalization of my own. The piece has been edited to reflect as much. Apologies if you were offended.

Scott Mendelson said...

You are correct and I should have been more careful in my word choice.

Disco Paco said...

The other posters forgot to say "good article."

k0rrupt said...

Interesting point and one that I haven't seen discussed which is part of the problem I feel: the acceptance of it. Commenters/critics will laugh/point their fingers at such stunt casting but it's a huge problem for actors/actresses to make their way in the industry when performers in other media (Timberlake, Rihanna et al) make the jump in film or look to 'broaden ther brand'. Sometimes they make it and sometimes they don't but it would nice to see a fresh face who has their sights on film rather than a brand

It's another aspect of modern filmmaking in pre-selling films to a larger audience that denies trained performers a chance.

Heather Moore said...

I don't think you were offensive. The one thing I really like about your blog is that you are knowledgeable about movies and your articles are well written and interesting. And also that you accept that you sometimes make mistakes and are quick to correct and acknowledge. It really irritates me when I read other blogs by so-called "movie people" that are full of errors. Way more errors than on here. It happens. Not a big deal. Because your articles are so well written I'm always assuming you want the errors pointed out. ;)

Anyhow I also agree with the content of the article. When I saw that part of the trailer I rolled my eyes.

Heather said...

Although if you (me) want to get really nitpicky Jennifer Lopez had her breakout role in Selena in 1997 and in 1998 she was in Out of Sight and then had her first successful music album in 1999. So she went the opposite route. Movies first and then music. ;) (I'm not a huge Jennifer Lopez fan honest; I just happened to remember when this happened. Everyone thought the album was going to be a huge mistake and as it happens her music career overshadowed the film career. Very rare that this happens).

JustWannaSayThat said...

Why is your head shot so creepy? I feel like I've been raped by a picture.

Scott Mendelson said...

I know, and I almost didn't include her, but as of today she is known far more as a musician than an actress (hence my caveat "primarily known for their musical careers"). I was actually a fan of hers back when she was 'Jennifer Lopez' and not 'J-Lo', as she was often the best thing about bad movies (Money Train, Jack). I was thrilled when she broke out in Selena and Anaconda, but disheartened when she let her J-Lo persona take over her genuine worth as an actress.

Scott Mendelson said...

I've had comments over the years about that picture, but yours may be my favorite. I like the shot, as I like the combination of well-dressed/groomed (IE - not some blogger living in his parents basement wearing the same shirt for a week) and somewhat off-kilter. Ironically, adults think that 'look' is creepy, but kids think it's hysterical.

That Guy said...

I think Beyonce Knowles should be on that list in place of Jennifer Lopez (who started out as an actress before evolving into an overexposed joke); also, isn't Mo'Nique primarily known as a comedienne?

Scott Mendelson said...

Correct on both counts.

Scott Mendelson said...

That's the second time I made that mistake with Mo'Nique (the first when I defended her terrific 'put the performance over politics' Oscar speech). I probably should rent one of her DVDs or watch a routine so I don't make that stupid mistake a third time...

Movie Reviews said...

I know, another board game as a movie. Will it be terrible? Or will it be Clue??

Kentoncampbelljr said...

Lopez started out as a dancer on In Living Color so she was the Rihanna of her time.

Kentoncampbelljr said...

Lopez started out as a DANCER on In Living Color. Not as an actress....

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