Is Hollywood Replacing Ginger Characters With Black Actors?
Lately, there seems to be a common theme that Hollywood is taking ginger characters from comics worldwide and casting Black actors. Of course, representation is always fabulous, but why is it happening with all the redheads? While some might find the choice to replace all the ginger comic characters and change their ethnicity entirely strange, I went and did some research and found a very interesting through-line with many of the actors that have been chosen to replace these characters. Interested? Keep reading!
Hollywood’s choice to replace ginger characters with Black actors can be seen as extraordinary and problematic. The extraordinary side is that Hollywood finally recognises black actors because the younger generation can finally identify with heroes, heroines, princesses and princes, protagonists and antagonists, and see representation in the media they are exposed to.
The problematic side is, what about the redheads or gingers of the younger generation? Unfortunately for them, their representation is slowly being whittled down to almost nothing, as the characters are not only taken from fair-skinned and ginger to Black but also to tanned skin with blonde hair, brunette hair, and essentially what Hollywood finds beautiful at the time. Yes, inclusivity is a crucial step that Hollywood needs to take, but what is the use of pushing out one group of people to include another?
A lot of fans who have commented on the situation of Hollywood “Blackwashing” ginger characters are disappointed that the media feels the need to adapt existing characters for inclusivity. Instead, they want to see Hollywood creating new Black characters who have unique ethnic backgrounds with African ancestry from all around the world because that is a lot more relatable than taking a white character and turning them black. This is a scorching debate at the moment thanks to the latest reveal of a Black April O’Neil in TMNT: Mutant Mayhem and in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and
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