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Tim Burton on Why 'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children' is Mostly White
- Thread starter Tom Nook Sawyer
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eyeball_kid
Member
B-B-Bomba!
Member
I'm trying to put my finger on the crux of this.
I think his answer means he thinks it's OK for him as a white film maker, to imagine and create a film (inspired by source material) which at it's heart is a white thing about white people. Because he's white and so that's where his stuff comes from and goes to.
And I think the reason his answer inspires anger is because there is an expectation that people's identities shouldn't be so streamlined any more. We should be having friends and family of different ethnicities, a more diverse experience of life, and therefore automatically a more diverse creative imagination. The suggestion that he's happy with a limited worldview like that is insulting to many.
There's also the issue of cultural history, and cultural present, where the dominant white culture now has a responsibility to recognise and redress it's automatic biases. And his apparent total disregard for that background, lack of interest or education on that subject, is also infuriating.
Correct me if I'm wrong?
I think his answer means he thinks it's OK for him as a white film maker, to imagine and create a film (inspired by source material) which at it's heart is a white thing about white people. Because he's white and so that's where his stuff comes from and goes to.
And I think the reason his answer inspires anger is because there is an expectation that people's identities shouldn't be so streamlined any more. We should be having friends and family of different ethnicities, a more diverse experience of life, and therefore automatically a more diverse creative imagination. The suggestion that he's happy with a limited worldview like that is insulting to many.
There's also the issue of cultural history, and cultural present, where the dominant white culture now has a responsibility to recognise and redress it's automatic biases. And his apparent total disregard for that background, lack of interest or education on that subject, is also infuriating.
Correct me if I'm wrong?
Vincent Grayson
Member
He hasn't made a good movie in what, decades now?
Fuck this guy.
Fuck this guy.
You say "need" like poc's are some different style of actor and the default is white. Nobody is asking for films to have a checklist of people from all corners of the world.
The only thing that feels forced right now is the directors and producer's lame excuses for having all-white casts when we all know what the real answer is.
As if I needed more reason to not give a fuck about Colin Moriarty's opinion.
OverBlood 3
Banned
SMH no wonder his films are shite.
Colin Moriarty seems like a right twat.
Colin Moriarty seems like a right twat.
mario_O
Member
Nope, that's on you. I think you're seeing ghosts where there aren't any. There isn't a default actor, there's a story to tell that needs actors to tell it, that's all. Nobody would be surprised if you only see white actors on a film set in Victorian London. But, again, I haven't read the book and I don't know if Burton is being dishonest with the book.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
this dude brought up blaxploitation films as a defense, that's amazing.
Do you honestly believe that 'white' is not the default setting when Hollywood studios are casting actors?
mario_O
Member
I was answering to the poster who said I thought white actors are default. It's not my personal opinion. They shouldn't be.
Fudgepuppy
Banned
It feels like he's trying to get towards multiple reasons for why, but failing 40% of the way with each argument.
What is he actually saying? That he doesn't want to have to add non-white people? That people would find it offensive if he did? That the story doesn't need non-white people? That he doesn't care about colour? That the source material doesn't have any non-white people?
What is he actually saying? That he doesn't want to have to add non-white people? That people would find it offensive if he did? That the story doesn't need non-white people? That he doesn't care about colour? That the source material doesn't have any non-white people?
you said:
How else can this be interpreted other than suggesting white is default?
Should a book have to describe Rasta's and Chinese people before a non-white person is cast? All books-to-films are adaptations. They're all modernisations.
Did the author imagine white people when writing? Sure, maybe. But given the amount of modern films that are based on old works or period settings, if we don't adapt the cast, we'll constantly be making films set in a world that no longer exists.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
Well, Samuel L Jackson is in this film. That's all I've got.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
Jim Brown in Mars Attacks!
mariachi507
Member
I know this has been repeated by a bunch of different posters in this thread, but it has to be said again.
"a black"???!?!?!?!?!?!?!
What the hell was he thinking?
I've got a question about the novel though. Were any of these character's "white-washed" for the film, or were they written without any ethnic features meaning that Burton just defaults to white for his characters?
"a black"???!?!?!?!?!?!?!
What the hell was he thinking?
I've got a question about the novel though. Were any of these character's "white-washed" for the film, or were they written without any ethnic features meaning that Burton just defaults to white for his characters?
VendettaRed07
Member
edit:
forget it. Not worth it.
forget it. Not worth it.
DrunkShogun
Member
You goofed up burton. Seems to have the thought of default casting should be white and it's wrong to go against this trend. Time to look at burtons other films to see if he has had this mentality from earlier on.
There are photos of the characters in the book. They're all white.
Doesn't really excuse Burton's shitty answer, though.
mariachi507
Member
No it doesn't, thanks for clearing it up for me though, I was just curious.
As much as I hate to beat a dead horse I love the "accurate to Victorian Wales" argument. Because if it's a POC breathing underwater and shooting bubbles or flying and shit it's totally going to kill my suspension of disbelief because of racial demographics of the area and era.
plagiarize
Banned
"Not every film needs to have a diverse cast" says guy who has to my knowledge barely made any movies with diverse casts.
bruh use to be using the same 2-3 white folks in all his movies. At least he's consistent across the board.
Rabbi_Vole
Banned
I heard he just had his next project cancelled because of this. It was to be a reimagining of the Burger King Kids Club. Way to go, Internet.
nkarafo
Member
There's nothing wrong with a movie featuring a female cast.
There's nothing wrong with a movie featuring only black people.
There's nothing wrong with a movie featuring only Asians.
And so on.
But a movie featuring only a white cast? Oh no, you can't have that. That's the only thing that is forbidden for some reason.
There's nothing wrong with a movie featuring only black people.
There's nothing wrong with a movie featuring only Asians.
And so on.
But a movie featuring only a white cast? Oh no, you can't have that. That's the only thing that is forbidden for some reason.
So what. Truth is not every movie needs a diverse cast. My story could involve black people only. Why should i force a white person or something in there if i don't want to? It's my frigging story. Get your own.
metalslimer
Member
A black? The fuck....
I love false equivalencies.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
Shit, even Trump is saying "my African-American" now. (in public). Burton is one step away from the coloreds.
(also, The Brady Bunch had "a black"?)
Triggerhappytel
Member
Yeah, what the fuck? Saying it like that is totally unacceptable.
Anyway, this is a bullshit response from a director who I've not been interested in since the late 90s, I think (when was Sleepy Hollow?).
Except that he's specifically cast some minorities in the book as white actors.
Horsemama1956
Member
The problem is most people don't care, myself included.
Way to knowingly miss the point. Especially when it's not the white cast bothering people but weird answer involving the Brady Bunch, Blazploitation, and the especially telling "a black" full stop.
The biggest argument on the larger scale is why is white (or male, or straight) the auto default?
Maybe people will be less concerned with the justifications behind whitewashing and similar concepts when we can stop having to justify any character that isn't a straight white male beyond niche films.
DontBeThatGuy
Member
He got offended by minority inclusion. THINK.
tkscz
Member
Yeah, this is where he fucked up. I don't think many would care if the book were an all white cast, but it wasn't. Not disagreeing with the idea that if you want to have your story have an all specific race, you should be able to, because you should be able to regardless. But this ain't Burton's story.
Well,his movies always had a gothic style so every character has to be pale,skinny, dress in black and look like a pretty cadaver.
It's his artistic preference and it's what made him stand out in the first place.
Vicetrailia
Member
You lack critical thinking skills. Read what people are saying in this topic.
LilWayneSuckz
Member
What?...He clearly stated "a black," everyone knows what he meant by saying that....like we're a goddamn crayon color...
I don't even get his answer. Does he consider some films "white" and some "black"? That's how it reads, but it's such an incoherent answer I can't really understand what the fuck he's trying to say.
It's really bizarre how so many directors seem to think casting black, latino, and asian actors will somehow dilute their creation, or alter it at some fundamental level. The financial arguments make no sense given that many of the most memorable characters in film weren't white, and that the foreign market (which values diversity) so often saves bad films.
It's really bizarre how so many directors seem to think casting black, latino, and asian actors will somehow dilute their creation, or alter it at some fundamental level. The financial arguments make no sense given that many of the most memorable characters in film weren't white, and that the foreign market (which values diversity) so often saves bad films.
What did he mean by this?
Member
This world has magical children, but that "black" over there better have a good reason to be there
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