Avatar...the UNmovie

11/4/2014

"With Avatar, I don't see it as a racist picture. If the race of the main actor was different, there wouldn't be an issue. If James Cameron's best choice was Sam Worthington, why take an actor with lesser abilities for a different colour skin?" - an Exit Card

Here are the actors who were offered the role or who auditioned. Sam Worthington ultimately was awarded the role.

Sam Worthington

Jake Gyllenhaal

Matt Damon

Chris Pratt

Cameron was criticized for only considering white actors for the role. How would the movie have been different had the role been given to a talented aboriginal actor?

Adam Beach

Eddie Spears

Alex Meraz

Michael Spears

Rick Mora

Michael Sensmeier

Kiowa Gordon

Taylor Lautner

Alissa

11/5/2014 12:13:38 am

I feel that this is very discouraging towards aboriginal actors because there are many aboriginals that would have been perfect for this part. It's really weird and it makes the movie pretty racist because of the actor they chose for the part. It really disgusts me that they would try to transform someone from their colour and race and faith and make them be someone who don't have

Alice

11/27/2014 11:52:51 pm

I agree 100% the fact that they did not even consider just agrivates me.

Alissa

11/5/2014 12:16:07 am

Part2:
Experience with the culture and have someone who is actually part of it. I feel the movie would have been less racist and more cultural if they used the right actors for the parts and have someone with that kind of background to play that part.

Jimmy

11/10/2014 10:21:56 pm

I think it's ridiculous that James Cameron only considered white actors when nothing in the actual role really has anything to do with race at all. If he had considered actors of multiple races and a white guy played Jake the best, that would be different, that would be fine, but because he only considered white actors, especially in a movie that was supposed to be a social commentary about colonization, really shows how Hollywood views the fit white male as a hero, and how everyone else is just background or dressings.

I can sort of see it as trying to have him fit in with the colonialists, and show him changing his ways, except this movie takes place in the distant future, and the actual crew of the colonists were of multiple races (not super diverse, mind you, but there were a couple black guys I think at least) so yeah, he just needed to be human and the message would have gotten across fine.

If they had picked an aboriginal actor, I think that would have been really interesting. Perhaps he starts off thinking the colonization of Pandora is different from that of North America, and growing to realize the similarities and refusing to allow another genocide, and/or perhaps the Na'vi help him to reconnect with his roots. I think that would have been extremely interesting.

Instead we got "I'm going to help colonize this planet. Oh cool I'm native now. Wait, this is bad, stop it."

It's sort of bad when a show from the 1960s (Star Trek) has more diversity than this movie from 2009.

Dom

11/10/2014 11:32:16 pm

im going to have to agree with you on this jimmy, you made some very good points. however racist this movie may seem, and not trying to sound racist at all, but i think the movie was best played with the fit white male because if you look back into history; its always the Strong, educated white man that comes to take over because they think they are better and stronger and much more smart. it plays the perfect role in the fact that it is supposed to seem racist, but i dont know if we can fully class this as racist because of the fact that he would rather be in the body of a Na'vi instead of the body of the fit white male. and by the end of it he literally becomes a Na'vi, sacrificing his body, ways, faith and everything else that makes him a strong, white, educated male that is trying to colonize the planet.

Tia

11/10/2014 11:29:12 pm

I feel it was unfair that he didn't consider aboriginal actors for the part, if they had got to addition for the part and didn't play the role well it would have been understandable.

Ryan

11/10/2014 11:50:33 pm

The problem is Hollywood's system. In Avatar, James Cameron wanted a big name actor, but because of how Hollywood works, all the big name actors are white. So in that limited pool, there are only white actors, and Cameron didn't want to hold auditions, so thus, a white actor was cast.

From that, it doesn't make the movie racist, it makes the system broken. James Cameron missed out an opportunity by not having a Native actor however. Because it would have stronger political subtext that way.

Mr. Stewart

11/12/2014 12:49:07 pm

You make a good point about the system being broken. I admire Cameron as a director but think, with all his success, fame and money, he should focus on the STORYTELLING over the sheer commercial success of the film. That being said, Sam Worthington wasn't a HUGE actor when he was cast. In fact, he was a bit of an unknown to the average movie goer.

Emily

11/27/2014 08:37:33 am

That's the thing, isn't it? He could be oblivious as to what he was trying to portray in this film. (White man saves the native people) He could have not known at all that this was offensive and racist. Or he could have wanted a big name actor to make this movie more big which ended up being a white man. Or as Mr. Stewart said, even if he wasn't well known, he was a young blood, new face that would spark up conversations. If he had a Native actor or could have even considered it, it would not only have stronger political subtext, but also save a lot of judgement from people.

Alice

11/27/2014 11:52:14 pm

The fact that they did not even CONSIDER taking a person of native ethnicity makes me very mad. Not to mention that avatar is just an extremely recycled plot line... They could have at least tried to not have it be a white dominated movie and give other people who could have played this role a chance.

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