Color-blind casting is the practice of casting roles without regard to the actor's ethnicity or race.
Terminology Alternative terms and similar practices include non-traditional casting, integrated casting, or blind casting, which can involve casting without consideration of skin color, body shape, sex, or gender. A representative of the Actors' Equity Association has disputed the use of "color blind casting", preferring "non-traditional casting". Non-traditional casting "is defined as the casting of ethnic minority actors in roles where race, ethnicity, or gender is not germane".
Blackwashing is the deliberate casting of black actors in non-black historical roles or contexts. Whitewashing is the casting of white actors in non-white roles.
The Non-Traditional Casting Project The Non-Traditional Casting Project was founded in 1986 to examine problems of racial discrimination in theatre, film and television. The Actors' Equity Association is a co-founder.
Debate and "color-consciousness" In the theatre community, there is significant debate over the concept of color-blind casting vs "color-conscious casting".
In 1996, Pulitzer-winning playwright August Wilson, who was black, used his Princeton University address on black culture in the United States "The Ground on Which I Stand" to attack the notion of color-blind casting.
In 2017, associate editor of American Theatre magazine Diep Tran declared "color-conscious" to be a preferable term. "Color-conscious means we're aware of the historic discrimination in the entertainment industry ... and we're also aware of what it means to put a body of color onstage.". The idea promotes intentionality and race-conscious affirmative action to avoid racially homogeneous casts, and has been supported widely across the theatre community.
In 2018, the Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law published the article "There's No Business Like Show Business: Abandoning Color-Blind Casting and Embracing Color-Conscious Casting in American Theatre". The article discussed the implications for US employment law and mooted that color-blind casting has not produced its intended result. "Race is still a determining factor in American society, and it is counterintuitive to argue that problems related to race can be fixed by ignoring race altogether". The Broad Online calls a color-blind casting "a superficial solution to a deeper problem."
The 2018 Broadway revival of Carousel sparked further discussion promoting color-conscious casting when Black actor Joshua Henry performed the role of domestic abuser Billy Bigelow alongside white actress Jessie Mueller as Julie Jordan, his partner. Despite a critically acclaimed performance from Henry, many disapproved of the revival's portrayal of a Black man abusing a white woman, which has been historically stereotyped; others questioned the casting of a Black man as an abuser at all. This concern was only exacerbated by a separate discourse surrounding the musical's lack of direct condemnation towards Bigelow's actions, which would fall under heavy scrutiny in the wake of the MeToo movement, as well as the later-proven sexual misconduct allegations levied against cast member Amar Ramasar. When asked if he viewed this version of Billy as a Black man, Henry explained: "I’m playing him as me, who is an African-American man... And sometimes more things are brought to the forefront because I am African-American." Henry went on to state that his casting may benefit future representation for Black performers in classic roles.
Popular shows that employ color-conscious casting include: Hamilton: An American Musical, the BBC's Les Misérables, and the film Mary Queen of Scots (in which the black actor Adrian Lester plays a 16th-century ambassador). In 2017, director Michael Streeter made a color-conscious casting decision for his production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, believing "the decision would add depth to the play". Edward Albee's estate denied permission for the production, stating the casting "would fundamentally change the meaning and message of the play".
Historians Zareer Masani and David Abulafia criticized the BBC's use of color-blind casting for the King & Conqueror series, which features a racially diverse cast, including black actors playing roles such as the Mercian nobleman Morcar.
Examples Production Year Description New York Shakespeare Festival1955Joseph Papp started hiring actors of color in his Shakespeare productions. Tannhäuser 1961 Grace Bumbry was cast as Venus in the Wagner opera, becoming the first African-American singer to perform at the Bayreuth Festival. Batman 1967 Eartha Kitt was cast as Catwoman in the third season, taking over the role from the white Julie Newmar. Night of the Living Dead 1968 Duane Jones was cast as Ben, the lead and hero, a role never intended for an African-American. Never Say Never Again1983While a non-Eon-produced James Bond movie, the character of Felix Leiter was portrayed by a black person for the first time, played by Bernie Casey. The idea was to make the role more memorable. Happily Ever After1989Black actress Irene Cara provided the voice of Snow White in Filmation's film Happily Ever After. Her casting was regarded by many (including Cara herself) at the time as strangely "colorblind". After the Fall 1990 Josette Simon played Maggie at the London National Theatre in 1990. The role is widely supposed to have been based on Arthur Miller's former wife Marilyn Monroe.Louise Jury, "Colour-blind casting finds new stars for Billy Elliott" , The Independent. The Shawshank Redemption 1994 An adaptation of Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The character Red, described as Irish in the novella, is played by Morgan Freeman. A Midsummer Night's Dream1995Staged by the National Asian American Theatre Company, who specialise in creating roles for Asian American actors. This England: The Histories 2000 British-Nigerian actor David Oyelowo played Henry VI of England. Oyelowo was the first black actor to play an English king in a major production of Shakespeare.Fiachra Gibbons, "RSC casts black actor as English king for first time" , The Guardian, 19 September 2000.Hugh Quarshie, "Black kings are old hat" , The Guardian, 20 September 2000.Kate Kellaway, "My kingdom for a part", The Observer, 8 July 2001. Grey's Anatomy 2005 During the creation of the television series, none of the characters was assigned a race. Color-blind casting was used to choose the best actors for the roles, resulting in an ethnically diverse cast. Robin Hood 2006 Black British actor David Harewood was cast as Friar Tuck, a character traditionally portrayed as white, overweight, and balding, in "Total Eclipse", the first episode of the third series., Episode World. Casino Royale2006For the first time in the official James Bond film series (Never Say Never Again was not an Eon-produced entry), the character of Felix Leiter, which had consistently been portrayed as white in the Eon-produced series, was portrayed by black actor Jeffrey Wright. Wright portrays the character again in Quantum of Solace and No Time to Die. Merlin 2008 Several actors of colour appeared as extras or in more minor roles throughout the series, with Angel Coulby and Tomiwa Edun in recurring roles as Guinevere and Elyan respectively."Interview with Angel Coulby", 30 June 2024, BBC. King Lear 2010 Black British actress Pippa Bennett-Warner played Cordelia in the 2010 Donmar Warehouse production of King Lear, starring Derek Jacobi in the title role. Spartacus Ghanaian-British actor Peter Mensah portrayed the character Oenomaus in the Starz television series Spartacus. The real Oenomaus was a Gallic or Celtic gladiator and one of the original leaders of the slave revolt along with Spartacus and Crixus. In the Spartacus series, Oenomaus is portrayed as a Numidian (North African) gladiator. Skyfall 2012 The role of Miss Moneypenny, which had previously been cast as white, went to Naomie Harris. She reprised the role in the next James Bond films, Spectre and No Time to Die. "National Anthem" John F. Kennedy, who was white, is portrayed by ASAP Rocky in the music video. The Descendants trilogy 2015 First three films in a major media franchise reimagining the Disney Animated Canon in a 21st-century high school setting. Several characters originally portrayed as white and/or their children are cast color-blind including Cruella de Vil and her son Carlos, The Evil Queen and her daughter Evie, Queen Leah and her granddaughter Audrey, and Lady Tremaine and her granddaughter Dizzy. Other examples include:
Jay, son of Jafar, is portrayed by Booboo Stewart. Despite Jafar hailing from a fictional kingdom based on Baghdad, Stewart is of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Scottish, Russian, and Native American descent.