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Acura apologizes for seeking 'not too dark' actor
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/18/showbiz/acura-ad-controversy/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Acura apologized Wednesday for a casting document that called for an African-American actor who was "not too dark" in the car company's Super Bowl ad.
The controversial casting call document, published Wednesday by the celebrity gossip site TMZ, "pulls back the curtain" on the widely known practice of casting based on skin tone in Hollywood, a longtime manager said.
TMZ reported that it got the audition posting from "an African-American actor who didn't fit the profile, and who's pissed."
The role was for an "African-American Car Dealer" who would appear in a car showroom scene with Jerry Seinfeld. Jay Leno also appeared in the ad.
The sheet's "role details" read: "Nice Looking, friendly. Not too dark. Will work with a MAJOR COMEDIAN."
Acura spokesman Gary Robinson told CNN that the company did not know about the casting description until the TMZ story was published.
"Any of the creative directions didn't come from Acura," Robins said. "They would've come from the casting agency."
Cathi Carlton Casting, the agency hired by Acura to choose actors, declined comment. An employee who answered the phone at the agency's Santa Monica, California, office said they would defer to Acura's apology.
"We apologize to anyone offended by the language on the casting sheet used in the selection of actors for one of our commercials," Acura said in a statement to CNN. "We sought to cast an African-American in a prominent role in the commercial, and we made our selection based on the fact that he was the most talented actor."
Acura said it was "taking appropriate measures to ensure that such language is not used again in association with any work performed on behalf of our brand."
Longtime Hollywood manager Roger Neal said he was not shocked that a casting director would choose based on skin tone.
"People in the business a long time deal with this every day," he said.
But Neal, who has looked at daily casting breakdowns for 31 years, said he was surprised the description was written on a casting document.
"I've never seen it in writing before," Neal said. "No one has been bold enough to put it in writing."
The publication of the casting sheet "pulls back the curtain" on the casting practice, he said.
Neal said he suspects it was an inexperienced casting assistant who wrote the description.
Casting agents have told him in the past that his clients were too dark, or "not black enough," Neal said.
A euphemism in Hollywood is to tell a rejected actor that the casting director "went a different direction" when their race cost them an acting job, Neal said.
SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, "immediately reached out to the casting office when the notice was brought to our attention so we could discuss the specific language used," it said in a statement sent to CNN Wednesday.
"Despite the intention behind it, the notice was clearly not as well stated as it could have been and this is an area in which SAG-AFTRA's equal employment opportunities and diversity staff can help," the union said.
Re: Acura apologizes for seeking 'not too dark' actor
I know people will say that the "friendly looking" right next to the "not too dark" is the issue. I just wanted to point out that there are a lot of lighting issues photography and video people have when you have 2 skin tones on opposite ends of the spectrum right next to each other. I have no idea what the original "not too dark" speaker meant but there is a practical side to not wanting such vast difference in skin tones when you are playing opposite Jerry Pale-ass Seinfeld.
They could have easily hidden their preferences by just asking for AA males to audition and then picking the lighter-skinned one they preferred for this. At least then they could have just said, "Well, this [lighter-skinned] guy was the best guy for the role" without being accused of racism.
Not condoning this attitude or anything, just saying how they could have covered their asses.
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home DThis has nothing to do with a lighting issue and EVERYTHING to do with the colorism that plagues the Black community.
Yeahhh...No.
Usually they do. I mean every role filled in the world is partly about having the right look. That's why auditions aren't done behind a screen. The acting world "gets away" with a lot of things that other places of employment wouldn't be able to because so much is about how the audience is going to perceive a certain physical appearance.
Don't get me wrong I think film/theater needs to start breaking molds and start effecting the real world again vs. just imitating life.
Um. No. The photographers are professionals and can get around any "lighting issues".
I'm not saying it isn't.
Then WTF were you talking about lighting?
Have you ever done a commercial? 90% of the time everyone there is dedicated to the m**thf**king lighting. I know for most people you think "turning on a lamp, its lit" but in that world it's a whole nother can of worms. I have a friend who is a professional photographer (totally legit, worked for the state, not a momtographer at all) and she all but ruined a wedding photoshoot she took of an interracial couple getting married because his side of the family was dark and she and her dress where so light on top of a sunny outside venue and she forgot to switch something (exposures?) to compensate for the differences when different people were in the shot. So yeah, it makes a big difference and is a challenge for camera people and that takes a lot more time/effort (aka $$) to deal with and if it was a question of hiring person A vs. person B and you know you aren't going to have a challenge with person B than that is the person you pick.
So Thatthefuck is why I brought up the lighting.
Don't get me wrong, these people could be racist as hell and I'm not defending then at all or saying they aren't racist. But people in the film business DO say A LOT of otherwise un-PC things in there work because having people who are too "blonde" or too "ethnic" or too "waspy" or too "fat" or too "old" matters to them so its hard to say from a very short line on a call sheet if they are talking about physical appearance for type-sake or physical appearance because "zomgs black people!!!11!!1" THEN add on the fact that you gotta have someone to play opposite a guy whose appearance you CAN'T dictate (and who is also annoyingly short and hairy) so all the characteristic issues fall on the one person you can choose from the auditions which all of a sudden need to be really specific to not make JS look too short and hairy sorta nerdy.
I'm just saying those are all factors that do exist whether you want to acknowledge them or not.
I get that colorism is real and this could totally be a case for that and if this yet another run of the mill case of then that really sucks for everyone.
Nope, but we do video and photography in my line of work ALL THE TIME and no one has ever said, "Can you tell that black ass person to get out of the shot because they are messing up the color balance?"
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home D
Right?
I believe ringstrue is pulling a hawkeye.
I am going to do everyone a favor and not quote the 3 paragraph red herring just presented especially since Butternut gave a clear rebuttal. Honestly Sugr if you going to convince yourself this could be a lighting issue well then have at it. Most of us know the only lighting issue here has to do with skin complexion coupled with a troubled history.
+1 for proper use of this term.
{golf claps}
I paid my taxes, dammit!
Wait.
Did sugr just say that black people are hard to photograph?
I am rolling, you all outta know.
And thank God this lighting issue isn't legit. Or rather Butternut ought to be thanking God. She needs her Idris, yo!
Click me, click me!
well gosh, i don't know what photo you're looking at, but I can barely make out that man's features. It's just like a big shadow on the screen.
Oh honey, that's just lust clouding your eyes, my darling.
Click me, click me!
maybe i need to turn up the backlighting on my screen.
We're like vampires. Didn't you get that memo?
Or change your undies. IDK.
Click me, click me!
Only the darkies.
Click me, click me!