Jewish Actor Roles
Should Jews Be Played By Jews?
Automatically, my instinct is to say yes. But the more I think about it, I’m actually pretty ok with non-Jews playing Jewish roles. Here’s why:
We’re not underrepresented: Jews in Hollywood are not a minority by any means. It’s one of the few industries in the world that we dominate. Judaism is not stopping actors and actresses from getting the roles they want. Jewish actors are not a visible minority making it very easy for them to play non-Jewish roles.
I believe any part should always go to the best actor.
Andrew Garfield, a proudly Jewish actor, was recently nominated for an Academy Award for playing a Seventh day adventist in Hacksaw Ridge. He also played a Priest in Scorsese’s Silence. Garfield …show more content…
I’m talking about Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Rabbi Tuchman in Robin Hood and Zohan in You Don’t Mess With The Zohan. Chaim Topol, Mel Brooks and Adam Sandler played these roles. While I would be open-minded to non-Jewish actors playing these characters, these characters are so Jewish that I would be surprised and impressed if a non-Jewish actor could bring the same amount of authenticity to these roles.
It’s important to note the distinct difference between a minority and a visible minority. African-Americans and Asians are visible minorities, while Jews and LGBTQ+ people are not. Non- visible minorities are usually able to play any demographic onscreen because they’re origins aren’t visible.
One criticism in Hollywood casting is white-washing: when a white actor or actress plays a role that was meant to played by a person of colour. This is a very culturally insensitive thing to do because POC are already so underrepresented in Hollywood, that not giving them the few roles that are meant for their ethnicity is incredibly racist. But, this differs so much from Judaism because whitewashing is a one sided practice. Rarely, if ever, does a POC play a role that was originally meant to be a white actor or actress. But as mentioned previously, with Judaism the casting is a two-sided process. Jews often play non-Jewish roles and non-Jewish actors often play Jewish roles. May whoever is best for the
Automatically, my instinct is to say yes. But the more I think about it, I’m actually pretty ok with non-Jews playing Jewish roles. Here’s why:
We’re not underrepresented: Jews in Hollywood are not a minority by any means. It’s one of the few industries in the world that we dominate. Judaism is not stopping actors and actresses from getting the roles they want. Jewish actors are not a visible minority making it very easy for them to play non-Jewish roles.
I believe any part should always go to the best actor.
Andrew Garfield, a proudly Jewish actor, was recently nominated for an Academy Award for playing a Seventh day adventist in Hacksaw Ridge. He also played a Priest in Scorsese’s Silence. Garfield …show more content…
I’m talking about Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Rabbi Tuchman in Robin Hood and Zohan in You Don’t Mess With The Zohan. Chaim Topol, Mel Brooks and Adam Sandler played these roles. While I would be open-minded to non-Jewish actors playing these characters, these characters are so Jewish that I would be surprised and impressed if a non-Jewish actor could bring the same amount of authenticity to these roles.
It’s important to note the distinct difference between a minority and a visible minority. African-Americans and Asians are visible minorities, while Jews and LGBTQ+ people are not. Non- visible minorities are usually able to play any demographic onscreen because they’re origins aren’t visible.
One criticism in Hollywood casting is white-washing: when a white actor or actress plays a role that was meant to played by a person of colour. This is a very culturally insensitive thing to do because POC are already so underrepresented in Hollywood, that not giving them the few roles that are meant for their ethnicity is incredibly racist. But, this differs so much from Judaism because whitewashing is a one sided practice. Rarely, if ever, does a POC play a role that was originally meant to be a white actor or actress. But as mentioned previously, with Judaism the casting is a two-sided process. Jews often play non-Jewish roles and non-Jewish actors often play Jewish roles. May whoever is best for the