TV's BATWOMAN Seeking Out Actress, of "ANY" Ethnicity. Maybe not Jewish?

[Comic-Reader Lad]

This is dumb. She's half ethnically Jewish and doesn't practice. It she resembles physically the character and can act, it doesn't matter. The focus on identity of character matching actor, writer, and director is absolutely moronic and will destroy the entertainment industry if they stay on this track. RDJ and Scarlett Johansson are both half ethnically Jewish. Does that mean they are now unqualified to play non-Jewish character Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff? Should Sean Penn have his Oscar revoked because he's not gay like Harvey Milk? Should Phil LaMarr not be allowed to voice Samurai Jack?

I didn't say that the actress has to be Jewish. I'm saying the character of Kate Kane/Batwoman should remain Jewish as she is in the comics. Jews are an underrepresented minority in both comics and television as characters, so deliberately making her "any ethnicity" isn't acceptable.

[Midvillian1322]

I didn't say that the actress has to be Jewish. I'm saying the character of Kate Kane/Batwoman should remain Jewish as she is in the comics. Jews are an underrepresented minority in both comics and television as characters, so deliberately making her "any ethnicity" isn't acceptable.

Minorities might be underepersented but Jewish people(im a jew) get more characters then other minorities. Off the top of my head from Marvel u got Thing,Kitty,Magneto,MoonKnight,Doc Sampson,and zjustice. I wont name any Magento family member and I think Icemans Jewish aswell but iono. Anyway DC has some too .Asian ,Middle eastern and Latino are more underrespented and black heroes might be about the ssme.iono someone would have to break down the numbers

Edit: misread your post sorry. Thought u were saying Jewish people are more under represented then other minorities. Ok yea just because they get better representation doesnt mean they aren't still under represented

[jump]

I didn't say that the actress has to be Jewish. I'm saying the character of Kate Kane/Batwoman should remain Jewish as she is in the comics. Jews are an underrepresented minority in both comics and television as characters, so deliberately making her "any ethnicity" isn't acceptable.

The point I think you're missing is people can act Jewish without being a Jew.

[Jokerz79]

I hope this doesn't get as divisive as the Kara actress had to be Kryptonian and member of Rao religion a few years back. I kid

[Midvillian1322]

The point I think you're missing is people can act Jewish without being a Jew.

And Jewish actors defiently arent hurting for work in Hollywood like other minorities. But I think that's what hes saying. The actress doesnt have to be Jewish but he wanted them to play batwoman as Jewish. Though religion rarely plays a big part in superhero movies and shows. Daredevil is the only one where there faith is important. Like no one cares the Thing is Jewish it doesnt effect the story. But it does with Magneto. BatWoman it wont come up often I bet but she should still be Jewish you gain nothing by making her a Gentile

[Cyke]

The point I think you're missing is people can act Jewish without being a Jew.

The other point is that Jewish people can be of any ethnicity as well, biologically and/or spiritually.

I mean, after 5000 years of traveling the Earth, they better be.

[SJNeal]

The point I think you're missing is people can act Jewish without being a Jew.

You can also act gay without being gay.

Just sayin'.

[Carabas]

Honestly, what I can remember is she started rocking the pasty white look during a storyline about a vampire seducing her, and it just stuck from there. But it could have started back in the first issue of her own ongoing as an artistic choice.

It started with the beginning the Rucka run in Detective comics, and it retconned it to be her look from way before she became Batwoman. It's a lifestyle thing.

[Batgrayson]

You can also act gay without being gay.

Just sayin'.

Exactly. I mean, that's the point of acting.

[Michael Watkins]

is this a battle worth fighting? chances are they are actually looking for someone who can play the jewish aspects of the character i.e. your standard white actress who they will make look like the character. they are leading with "diversity" because it's what is expected and to ward off any complaints about lack of diversity. the unintended outcome of starting this thread might be the alienation of potential viewers. it's the same crap that happened with Iron Fist. there wasn't a chance in hell that they were going to cast Danny Rand as something other than white. but people made sure to protest the stated desire of some to see an Asian Iron Fist.

[PyroTwilight]

Assuming she's Bruce's cousin here she really could be almost anything ethnically depending on what they do with her family structure here. Especially if they change which parent is related to Bruce (I know it's her father usually).

[Elmo]

I liked her better before that dumb retcon.

good for you?

[Comic-Reader Lad]

I'm not saying Kate has to practice the Jewish religion or "act Jewish."

First, it's important to note that Jews are an ethno-religious group. In other words, their religion is Jewish and their ethnicity is also Jewish, while acknowledging that over time other ethnicities may have adopted the Jewish religion.

Anyway, as long as the producers are trying to make Kate as comics-accurate as possible, Kate's Jewish background should remain a part of her character. If the producers decided to make her NOT a lesbian, I think there would be a big outcry against it.

It doesn't make sense that the producers would go out of their way to make Kate not Jewish and think it's ok.

[Cyke]

is this a battle worth fighting? chances are they are actually looking for someone who can play the jewish aspects of the character i.e. your standard white actress who they will make look like the character. they are leading with "diversity" because it's what is expected and to ward off any complaints about lack of diversity. the unintended outcome of starting this thread might be the alienation of potential viewers. it's the same crap that happened with Iron Fist. there wasn't a chance in hell that they were going to cast Danny Rand as something other than white. but people made sure to protest the stated desire of some to see an Asian Iron Fist.

That's because an Asian Iron Fist would 1. counter or dispel notions of misguided cultural appropriation, and ironically actually bring it closer to how Rand's world is depicted in the comics, and 2. Because white actors playing Asian roles *still* goes on (just ask Scarlet Johannsen - she literally played a character with a Japanese brain in a white body), but almost never the other direction, despite white actors being the far greater proportion of the acting pool. So, in a sense, it's okay for white actors to take on Asian roles but not okay for Asians to play white roles to subvert that, and that's a big double standard.

Ironically, a lot of people who get worried that minorities are taking jobs from white people are totally okay with white people taking acting jobs purposely written for minority roles. That disconnect is jarring and not at all as color-blind as those people claim to be, because that color-blindness only seeks to serve white representation without taking equity into account, all while banging the drums of some false notion of equality.

[j9ac9k]

I thought her pale look was artistic choice. I didn't think she was actually white as a ghost.

Yes - it was clearly an artistic decision with the coloring of the entire book. It caught on so well that even in other titles where the coloring was otherwise normal, they chose to make her paler than other Caucasians. They can try to achieve the same effect with lighting in the live-action show if they want, regardless of who they cast.

I'm not a huge fan of them saying, "heteros need not apply" - it's one thing to want the actor's life experience to add to the role, but to say that sexual preference matters while race doesn't? Doesn't seem to be making strides towards equality to me, but that's how things are right now...