“Being the Ricardos” director Aaron Sorkin spoke out about the backlash surrounding his casting of Spanish actor Javier Bardem as Cuban entertainer Desi Arnaz in the biopic about his life with Lucille Ball.
“It’s heartbreaking, and a little chilling to see members of the artistic community resegregating ourselves,” the “West Wing” creator said about the scrutiny surrounding the casting a Spanish actor to play a Cuban.
Movie critic Hanna Ines Flint blasted the writer for his comment. “Aaron Sorkin doubling down by calling the need for representation ‘resegregation’ now. It’s heartbreaking to see a screenwriter I was a fan of be deliberately obtuse towards people’s valid criticisms,” she wrote.
“Do you feel like you’re watching a lot of liberals doing battle with the Frankenstien monster they created?” Gutfeld questioned. “Aaron Sorkin has done a lot to create this PC environment for decades.”
“The whole point… about acting is that you should play people who are unlike who you are, cause that shows your merit as an actor,” he went on. “For example, I know, I would be a great black female lesbian. I would knock it out of the park.”
Bardem defended his casting in the film last week. “I’m an actor, and that’s what I do for a living: try to be people that I’m not,” he remarked. “What do we do with Marlon Brando playing Vito Corleone? What do we do with Margaret Thatcher played by Meryl Streep? Daniel Day-Lewis playing Lincoln? Why does this conversation happen with people with accents?”
Sorkin doesn’t believe that performers with specific sexual orientations or ethnicites should only be cast in the corresponding roles they represent.
“You can act being attracted to someone, but can’t act gay or straight. So this notion that only gay actors should play gay characters? That only a Cuban actor should play Desi?” he continued. “Honestly, I think it’s the mother of all empty gestures and a bad idea.”
“Excuse me, you mean “birthing person” of all empty gestures, you disgusting transphobe,” Gutfeld joked after reading Sorkin’s quote.
Watch the whole segment here:
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