The "White Dude" Problem in Hollywood

Since the release of both Captain Marvel and Us, you've most likely heard Brie Larson and Jordan Peele bring up white guys and what they feel are problems involving them in the Hollywood industry. 

For Brie Larson, it was during an acceptance speech at the Crystal Award for Excellence in Film, where she talked about the critical reception for A Wrinkle in Time. She stated that it didn't get fair criticism due to the fact that it was reviewed by "a bunch of white dudes" and that the movie "wasn't made for them," due to the cast, the target audience, and subject matter.

Jordan Peele brought up the subject during an interview for his new film Us. He stated "The way I see it, I get to cast black people in my movies. I feel very fortunate to be in this position... I don't see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don't like white dudes, but I've seen that movie."

Ok, so let's start with pros and cons of what Larson said. Yes, I agree with her that different voices would lend a fresh perspective to the reception of a movie. Anybody that wants to write about movies  or any form of art should do their best to make their opinions heard. And she's right, there are a lot of white guys that write reviews for movies. But I don't think Brie Larson, who often comes across as the whitest, white person you will ever see, is the right person to pick this hill to die on.

(Source: Youtube)

Especially when you're about to be the lead in a comic book movie, whose genre has largely been fueled by nerdy white guys. This was just the biggest story in her bumpy road to the Captain Marvel premiere, however, where she consistently made odd/condescending remarks about race and the struggles of being an actress in Hollywood.

As far as the comment about A Wrinkle in Time goes, the beauty of a good movie is that (if made well) it can make anyone relate to the characters and their story regardless of their background. I can't relate to soldiers that stormed the beaches of Normandy, but the scene from Saving Private Ryan made it look pretty damn terrifying, and I can relate to the feeling of wanting to live. I can't personally relate to people on screen that are running away from fire breathing dragons, but that doesn't make me care any less about my favorite characters on Game of Thrones. 

A Wrinkle in Time got bad reviews because it wasn't well made, and even though she's just using it as an example toward a larger problem she sees, this was a bad one to pick. Especially since a diverse cast that includes Oprah, Mindy Kahling, and Chris Pine makes the movie more interesting because most viewers like those people regardless of their race.

For the Jordan Peele side of things, I get what he's saying. He feels like not enough black actors have taken center stage in movies, and he makes a good point. The comparison of well known black actors to white actors is pretty slim, so if he can make it happen, he's going to make it happen. But, for me at least, the statement had a "Duh" reaction. You mean to tell me that guy that made Get Out, a movie that's drenched in racial symbolism, doesn't want a white guy as his lead?? But why??

                                                          (Source: Hollywood Reporter)

It's just one of those things where saying nothing and letting your work speak for itself would have been a better situation. Especially when you know that people are waiting online for a chance to rage about something. Or even better, just find a different way to phrase your opinion so it doesn't piss so many people off.

Just speaking from a marketing perspective, wouldn't you want to have as many people as possible going to your movies wanting to like them? Why give them a reason to not like you before they see what you have to offer? And even if white guys aren't your target audience, they make up a big chunk of your box office number.

But as I write this, Larson's Captain Marvel has made $333,305,815 so far, and Peele's Us has made $113,706,391 already off a $20,000,000 budget, having not even fully finished it's second week. Also, his reboot of The Twilight Zone is getting great reviews. So their remarks haven't stifled their box office or critical success.

So time can only tell if these comments will affect actors/directors that make comments like this, most likely not, but you'd think they wouldn't want to alienate a potential audience from watching their work.