The selection of Jodie Whittaker as the new incarnation of Doctor Who and the noisy – but unfortunately false – speculation surrounding Idris Elba as the next James Bond mark a significant attitudinal shift regarding non-traditional casting. For those unaware of its definition, non-traditional casting is the practice of selecting actors and actresses for roles without regard for race, gender, and sometimes age. The process challenges convention, replacing misogynistic or marginalising practices with a celebration of diversity which, for the small screen, has huge potential.
Certain shows like Grey’s Anatomy cast all leading roles through colour-blind auditions and have been exemplars of nonconformist practices for years, whereas others, amidst increasing pushes for media diversity, have only recently started to engage with public demand. Grey’s Anatomy deserves recognition for its use of non-traditional casting methods at a time where they were remarkably uncommon, its date of premiere being in 2005. Its large and varied cast, which included the likes of Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), demonstrated the potential of a non-traditional approach which employed diversity as a means of improving the show’s scope and character quality; nothing about it was tokenistic.
Theatre, which massively predates both film and television, is the natural front-runner in terms of non-traditional casting. It is a medium with a grasp on its own constructedness which allows for its greater fluidity in relation to gendered and racial casting. Ruth Negga’s recent turn as Hamlet at the Gate Theatre is only a recent addition to a centuries-old tradition of women playing the iconic role. The first example dates back to 1775 with Sarah Siddons who toured major venues – such as the Bristol Old Vic – as the famous Danish prince. Just this year, the Globe Theatre announced it would be showcasing a performance of Richard II with a cast comprised solely of women of colour from February to April 2019, following a tradition popularised in North America of all-female Shakespearean productions. Broadway sensation Hamilton further exemplifies the benefits of non-traditional casting, selecting actors of varying ethnicities to play the historically white Founding Fathers of the United States. Its success is attributed to its diversity, and its style which blends a traditional musical score with rap.
When prominent theatre director Trevor Nunn chose an all-white cast for his 2015 production of The Wars of the Roses, it immediately drew criticism. By failing to include a single actor of colour or any disabled actors, critics – such as actors’ union Equity – claimed Nunn had locked out minority individuals from a landmark moment in British history. Nunn issued a response vindicating all-white casts in historical dramas, proclaiming a dedication to authentic artistic vision and “historical verisimilitude”. The defenders of Nunn renounced a perceived desire for “forced diversity” and even “political correctness gone too far”. It’s important to acknowledge arguments such as these given the scope of the debate surrounding non-traditional casting, and especially given the importance of artistic and authorial intent. One can see where Nunn is coming from in terms of arguments for historical accuracy; all of the central figures involved in the Wars of the Roses were, as far as we know, white and a desire to represent an event as faithfully as possible is understandable. However, considering the subversive nature of modern theatre, one could question the necessity or even the appeal of such a decision. For hundreds of years, largely-white productions of historical events have monopolized both stage and screen and Nunn’s nostalgic appeal to Shakespeare, or even to the war itself, is unlikely to touch upon anything that hasn’t been done countless times before. One could interrogate Nunn’s line of thinking even further by questioning his decision to cast Irish actor Robert Sheehan and Norwegian actor Kåre Conradias as leads in the feud, given that the play concerns rivalling families of distinctly English heritage.
The concept of non-traditional casting is important for revitalising and making contemporary traditional stories and ideas. This is particularly important for works like those of Shakespeare, as mentioned, whose conflicts are not rooted in those of a specific gender or racial tensions. Significant shows like Charmed, which was rebooted this year with a diverse lead cast, are prime targets when it comes to repurposing televisual institutions as it not only affords actors of colour opportunities, but makes classics contemporary.
However, if a show, for example Netflix’s Dear White People, is written for the purpose of discussing issues of race, and therefore inherently relies on a narrative involving ideas of race or identity, then colour-blind casting seems illogical. The show’s main character, Samantha (Logan Browning), is biracial, a fact which plays in importantly into much of the show’s exploratory rhetoric concerning Black identity and her overall character arc. In this instance, then, casting specificity is required. A imprecise approach cannot be universally applied when issues such as these are central to a work’s message, it diminishes the quality of the show, especially one with discursive storylines, for the purpose of non-descript diversity.
Peter Davison, who played the fifth incarnation of Doctor Who’s titular Time Lord, described the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor as a “loss of role model for boys”. Whittaker’s casting was undoubtedly a conscious decision of inclusion which marked an important move away from the arguably patriarchal tradition of the show, which only recently embraced the idea that one (of thirteen so far) random bodily regenerations could actually result in a female Time Lord. While some have inevitably sympathised with Davidson’s masculine strife, it is hard to take pity when his comments perpetuate the basely misogynistic idea that a woman could never be a role model for young men. It becomes especially ridiculous given the abundance of male roles which exist within TV. Though these facts clearly render Davidson’s complaints a petty and plainly chauvinist strop, arguments such as his have been made time and time again by those who disagree with the changing face of television.
Producers of family-friendly fantasy series Merlin cast Angel Coulby, an biracial English actor of Afro-Guyanese descent, as lead character Guinevere in their 2008 retelling of the Arthurian legends. The character’s brother, played by black actor Adetomiwa Edun, later also later becomes a Knight of the Round Table. The casting directors ignored approaches like that of Nunn’s ode to historical accuracy and took a different approach; the Arthurian myths themselves are, after all, a playful mix of history and fantasy. Though the show featured a predominantly white cast, this decision was influential due to Merlin‘s massive success, which saw it occupying a prime-time viewing slot for five years. Coulby’s performance was elegant, balancing the expected humility of a maidservant and the regality of her destined role as queen. By choosing Coulby for the part, Merlin’s creative team evinced the potential of non-traditional casting for both big-budget dramas and historically-inclined series.
Similar debate has surrounded another fantasy epic: Game of Thrones, which has been consistently criticised for its lack of diversity. The basis for Merlin, which includes obvious fantasy elements, is from a rich literary tradition and its source material is canonical in European literature. Its characters, themes and authors of the older incarnations (of the Arthurian legends) are consistently preoccupied with white, Christian traditionalism. Yet the producers were not convinced of an inherent need for Guinevere to be white. Stars such as John Boyega have renounced Game of Thrones for featuring “no black people”, echoing David Oyelowo’s similar comments that, hopefully, “the future will be more colourful than the past”. Indeed, there are only three characters played by Black actors in Game of Thrones with any tangible amount of dialogue and/or screen time. Nathalie Emmanuel plays Missandei, Jacob Anderson is Grey Worm – both of these characters are freed slaves – and Nonso Anozie is Xaro Xhoan Daxos, a wealthy and powerful merchant whose role lasts only five episodes. Similarly, House Martell of Dorne is the only one of the seven noble houses of Westeros with non-white genealogy and the only one not to speak with a British accent.
The Game of Thrones televisual universe has an objectionably simplified portrayal of race which is far more problematic than its literary source material. An uneasy dichotomy between white nobility and non-white slavery or ‘savagery’ seems to exist in the show. Non-traditional casting could perhaps provide a more enlightened perspective to the show, which doesn’t inherently rely on storylines rooted in exclusively white nobility. Creators often assert a need to remain true to history, that casting people of colour in medieval dramas – such as this, which is loosely based on the Wars of the Roses – is a degradation of the historical likeness they wish to achieve; even if such a likeness includes dragons, but not ethnic minorities.
Though an increasing number of mainstream shows are working towards creating a more varied casting landscape, there is still a need for change. A televisual tendency to overlook nonconformist casting in favour of token minority characters is simply not good enough, serving as a mild alleviation of a centuries-old tradition of exclusion. Approaching a project – given it does not rely on implicit racial tensions – with a preference for inclusivity over specificity is a for more sincere way of embracing diversity and change.
