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BIRACIAL ACTORS DILEMMA



"My father is black and my mother is white. Therefore, I could answer to either, which kind of makes me a racial Lone Ranger, caught between two communities." - Prison Break's Wentworth Miller.

I wanted to start a little discussion regarding mixed race actors, not just because it was a discussion that I had recently with two of my girls but identity issues within certain roles.

In an interview that Wentworth did with the UK's Metro, he said that he can understand why Vin Diesel doesn't talk about his ethnicity simply because of the fear of being typecast in Hollywood. I always thought that your physical appearance determines what roles you will play. Jennifer Beals is half black but because she can pass she has played white roles for years. Wenthworth can pass too so it's more than likely that he will get white roles. Do I have a problem with that? No, not at all. Well, some folks would say it's not right because he's not straight white but if he physically looks the part, then as far as I'm concerned its just a job and doesn't mean he's denying the other part of him.

Halle Berry doesn't look white and has mainly played black roles but now she is playing the role of a white teacher. Nothing was really said about it but when news broke that white actress Angelina Jolie was to play the role of Marianne Pearl, blacks complained because it was seen as modern day blackface. So my question is, are mixed race actors divided when it comes to certain roles or should they stick to playing roles that mirrors that of their own identity (bearing in mind that there aren't much mixed race roles on offer these days) instead of picking roles that portray one side of them simply because it offers a wider spectrum of opportunities?

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