Vanessa Chan
Actors shouldn’t be limited to which character’s race they fit best in, because acting is about skill and the ability to tell a story — not about skin color. It may be surprising to see a face different from a book’s description, but that doesn’t define a film’s worth. Having a great actor of a different race tell stories that aren’t deeply bound by culture shouldn’t be an issue.
In fantasy tales like “The Little Mermaid,” race isn’t the theme; it’s about following your heart despite sacrifices. Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in the live action “The Little Mermaid,” captured the spirit of an ambitious, curious mermaid through her singing and performance. Many people responded positively to her portrayal because she was so talented. Bailey didn’t need to make a statement; she simply played Ariel well. The director chose her for her voice and never regretted it, even with the backlash that followed.
“Halle Bailey is really talented; she just happened to be a different race,” said Aragon alumna Alessandra Hernandez.
While representation matters, the purpose of acting is to act. When a director casts an actor of a different race, it may not always be out of exclusion but rather a choice based on who best fits the role.
Changing a character’s race isn’t just found in Hollywood but also at Aragon. Last year, Hernandez, a girl of Asian, white and Hispanic descent, was cast as Deloris Van Cartier, a character initially played by Black actress Whoopi Goldberg.
“She was good for all of the other reasons, except for being not African American,” said play director Shane Smuin. “If [the acting is] done well, then that’s okay.”
Hernandez herself also agreed.
“They know my work ethic,” Hernandez said. “[I’m] reliable and hard working. I’ve always shown up for rehearsal, and I tried to look for qualities in my personality that I could relate to Deloris.”
But if race doesn’t matter, why change the author’s original vision? Many stories were written in times when authors didn’t imagine heroes of color simply be cause of social limitations — not be cause they believed only white characters could exist. That doesn’t mean actors of color shouldn’t play those roles today. For example, J.K. Rowling once described Severus Snape as pale to emphasize his coldness, but coldness can be shown through behavior. When she later participated in casting decisions, she didn’t treat race as a restriction.
Of course, if a story’s entire message depends on a character’s racial identity — like in “Black Panther” or “Mulan” — that shouldn’t be changed. However, when changing a character’s race doesn’t alter the story’s meaning, it can even enhance it. In “Bridgerton,” having a Black actress play Queen Charlotte adds to the theme of love and power. Because people of color back then were deemed as inferior, this casting choice uplifts people of color and efutes that norm back then. The story isn’t meant to be studied as a history textbook but appreciated as a fictional tale about human emotions.
“If you’re good at this and it fits the integrity of the story, then they should be given that part,” Smuin said. “But there’s certainly a line, and it depends on what the material is.”
Similarly, in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” Annabeth Chase was originally written as a blonde girl but Leah Sava Jeffries, who is African American and plays Annabeth in the live action TV show, not only enhanced that aspect of the story but also proved herself as a great actor through her performance. It even earned the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Award for Outstanding Performance by a Youth.
Race should never be overlooke in film, but it shouldn’t become a barrier separating great actors from great roles. It doesn’t need to be hated if a talented actor is cast as a character whose race they don’t share — that can be the beginning of a masterpiece. True inclusivity means giving all actors the opportunity to tell timeless stories, regardless of how they look, as long as they bring authenticity and heart to the role.
