Courtney’s analysis of a white actress portraying a woman of
black ancestry in Pinky and Deloria’s
discussion of Native American portrayals in film call into question who gets to
represent “otherness” in popular culture and what effects these kinds of
decisions ultimately have on mass audiences.
As Deloria points out, many producers considered it a sign of
authenticity to hire Native Americans as actors in Hollywood westerns, a strategy
reminiscent of the production of 19th century Wild West shows;
however, it was more often that they “found superior those white actors who had
‘made a study of Indian life,’ for Indians themselves regressed before the
camera to savagery” (Deloria 78).
Nowadays, the controversy surrounding representation of
Native Americans, and other cultural categories, in film continues to be a
significant conversation within mass media and entertainment industries. One the one hand, the reactions to and actual
casting of some of the most popular franchises reflect a belief that despite
the calls for certain characters to be represented as black or Native American,
certain roles remain reserved for whites only.
As someone mentioned in class, there was a huge outcry and even blatant
racism on social media sites in reaction to the casting of black actors for two
roles in The Hunger Games—a little
girl from an impoverished district who reminded the white protagonist of her
younger sister and the protagonist’s sensitive stylist and mentor. Although the original source material makes
reference to the characters’ dark skin and the history of slavery within the
former character’s home, it seems that in the minds of many fans, their places
as sympathetic characters close to the white protagonist were meant to remain
reserved for good-looking, white people only.
On the other hand, the casting of Taylor Lautner in the Twilight series as Native American teen werewolf Jacob Black sparked a slightly different reaction. While ultimately the role was given to a white kid from Michigan, in the beginning there was much discussion over the fact that a non-Native American would be portraying a member of the Quileute tribe, an actual tribe located in La Push, WA. A lot of doubt eventually subsided when Lautner announced after some heavy research that he had “some Native American in [his] distant background” on his mother’s side. It does not seem to me that a distant drop of Native American blood automatically qualifies someone as Native American, especially when the descendent makes no effort to take part in Native American culture and did not express much interest in his heritage until threatened to have a high-paying job taken away; however, it was still used to qualify him for the role. While there was a desire expressed for the Hunger Games roles to be taken on by white actors, the difference here in the expressed desire to have Jacob Black be made authentic by having him portrayed by an actual Native American seems to stem from the difference in the relationships of these characters to the female protagonists. As opposed to the beloved sister and companion figures in the former, the character in Twilight, who spends much of his screen time shirtless, is much more of a symbol of eroticism and a link to legends and ghost stories. So while the casting of Taylor Lautner as a traditionally white actor in a way may have helped maintain the character’s likeability or relatability, his declaration of distant Native American ancestry was also used as a way to authenticate his performance.
"MTV: Have you done any research on Native American culture?
Lautner: I actually had a meeting with Quileute tribal members yesterday! I interviewed them and just wanted to get to know them. One thing they do that I noticed is they don't need to be told to what to do. If the trash is getting full, they empty it out. They're always helping each other. They're always there for each other. So I just want to make sure I can bring that part of Jacob alive.
MTV: For a little while, the Twilighters were intent on having a Native American actor play Jacob.
Lautner: I know! And actually, I am part Native American. We learned that through [preparing for] this film. I'm French, Dutch and German, and on my mother's side, she has some Potawatomi and Ottawa Indian in her.
...
Lautner: It's not in the first book, but the quote I love the most is Jacob's quote, "Does my half being naked bother you?" That quote just cracks me up. Because you know, that's when he's shirtless, not wearing a top — we'll have to wait to see what he looks like.
MTV: So you're eager to deliver that line?
Lautner: Exactly. I am eager.
MTV: Well, here's your chance: Want to look in the camera and deliver that line?
Lautner: [He laughs.] "Does my half being naked bother you?"
MTV: I think you just got a lot of teenage girls very excited.
Lautner: Yeah, we'll have to wait for that one. [He winks.]"
To what extent does Lautner’s Native American ancestry
qualify him as Native American? In what
case does an actor’s heritage actually matter in terms of him being right for
a particular role? Would hiring an actor
who considers himself full-blooded or a culturally practicing Native American
actually make the performance more “authentic,” or could the performance of someone not considered Native American but who studied its culture in-depth also be considered "authentic"?
Would you agree that there is a difference in the importance of
determining racial identity based on how our relationship to that race or a particular character is
portrayed?
2 comments:
It is very difficult me to talk about the authenticity of people in other races different from my own because I do feel that there are different rules for each race. While you cite that Taylor Lautner cannot truly express Native American authenticity due to the fact that he was not aware of this heritage and had no ties to it before exploring his side in order to further secure his role in Twilight. However, simply being unaware of his heritage to me doesn't necessarily equate authenticity. As a black female, it is hard for me to challenge authenticity because the rules of my race stem from history such as the one drop rule that still exerts itself in our society. There are some people who may have one grandparent who is black, but they have no connection to that part of their family, thus they do not identify at all with blackness. However, if their blackness can somehow be seen due to a certain level of melanin in their skin they are viewed as a black person in the world, even if they do not navigate the world as such. Since they are treated as a black person in society, does their blackness therefore become authenticated simply because whether they believe it or not their experiences become that of a black person? And for that matter African Americans usually have little to know knowledge about African culture or heritage due to the slave trade and brutal displacement. Can we therefore say that their Africaness is not authentic simply because they have no ties to it and don't know exactly where they came from? It's a weird thing for me to answer and thus because of all these different angles I am unsure about whether or not we as a society can determine whether or not Taylor Lautner's Native American heritage is "authentic" or not.
In fictional films, authenticity is achieved through an accurate visual experience and the inclusion of factual content. It is easy to spot a backdrop in comparison to a non-studio setting. Similarly, one can often decipher whether or not an actress is the race of her character. Although Jeanne Crain is not black, “the first five scenes are dedicated not only to making us see Pinky as ‘a Negro’ but also to making her identify as such herself,” (182). Since the film consistently reaffirms Pinky’s race, it becomes plausible that Pinky has black ancestry. Crain’s acting ability does not depend on her personal background- although Crain had not previously experienced the difficulties of racial duality; her performance was compelling enough to win an Academy award. One could argue that an actress of mixed-race would be better suited to play the roll because of visual credibility; however, if Crain was racially ambiguous, I would have difficulty believing the other characters viewed her as white.
In that respect, Twilight’s casting of Taylor Lautner does not take away from the authenticity of the film for the majority of the audience. Lautner’s features are ambiguous, which allows him to visually pass as a Native American. However, some educated audience members would not deem Twilight realistic because they could instantly categorize Lautner as a non-Quileute. Lautner’s heritage is irrelevant. The accuracy of Twilight’s portrayal of Native Americans relies on the validity of the films’ script, Lautner’s performance, and the Quileute costumes. If Lautner is not persuasive as a Quileute member, the problem is not his race but his acting ability.
Out of the film’s context, Lautner has the ability to identify as Native American. An individual is able to genuinely identify with a certain race or ethnicity for a variety of personal reasons. To respond to Abeni, if a person chooses to identify as black, then they are “authentically” black. In America, they have the ability to broadcast their identity, independent of another person’s control. Similarly, if society indentifies a person as black, then they are “authentically” black in society’s eyes. Authenticity in relation to racial categories is based on perspective.
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