In news that would be funny if it weren’t so sad, Zoe Kravitz revealed in an interview that she was denied an audition for a minor role in “The Dark Knight Rises” because “they weren’t ‘going urban.’”
Kravitz, a rising star who’s co-starred in films like “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the “Insurgent” trilogy and “Dope,” told Nylon, “In the last Batman movie, they told me that I couldn’t get an audition for a small role they were casting because they weren’t ‘going urban.’ … It was like, ‘What does that have to do with anything?’ I have to play the role like, ‘Yo, what’s up, Batman? What’s going on wit chu?’”
That Kravitz was denied the opportunity to even demonstrate her talent via an audition because of the color of her skin is upsettingly backward. This, however, doesn’t seem to be the first time her employment has depended on the industry’s reliance on racial stereotypes.
“There are certain roles where I know what they are asking for,” she told The Guardian earlier this year. “They want me to talk like I’m not an educated person. … I think actors could say no. Or say the joke differently. Or say this joke doesn’t make any sense. If my character’s not educated, tell me why. It can’t just be because I’m black.”
Incidentally, Batman’s hometown, Gotham City, was originally based on New York City, where two-thirds of residents are people of color. But, of course, Hollywood is very good at making up bizarro worlds where women and characters of color tend to mysteriously disappear.
[via FlavorWire]
