Deadline Issues Apology for Being Simpletons
Deadline now apologizes for their ludicrous click-bait article about the plight of overlooked white actors whose lives have been destroyed by Shonda Rhimes and Empire.
The article from last week addressed the dangerous trend of Ethnics getting jobs in entertainment.
But, as is the case with any sea change, the pendulum might have swung a bit too far in the opposite direction. Instead of opening the field for actors of any race to compete for any role in a color-blind manner, there has been a significant number of parts designated as ethnic this year, making them off-limits for Caucasian actors, some agents signal. Many pilot characters this year were listed as open to all ethnicities, but when reps would call to inquire about an actor submission, they frequently have been told that only non-Caucasian actors would be considered. “Basically 50% of the roles in a pilot have to be ethnic, and the mandate goes all the way down to guest parts,” one talent representative said.
Here’s the totally convincing apology from Mike Fleming, Jr:
Deadline ran an article last week that generated controversy and hurt feelings. An unfortunate headline–Pilots 2015: The Year of Ethnic Castings – About Time or Too Much of Good Thing?—created a context from which no article could recover. My co-editor-in-chief Nellie Andreeva’s goal was to convey that there was such an uptick of TV pilot casting of people of color that it pinched white actors who’ve historically gotten most of the jobs, and to question if this could last if it was being treated as a fad. All this was undermined by that headline (which we changed after the fact) and a repetition of the word “ethnic” that came off cold and insensitive.
The bullshit heartfelt mea culpa was accompanied by this photo because … reasons.
In other words, “All you touchy attention-whore Ethnics can continue to demand normalization. Excuse us while we go kill ourselves over this and this.”
