Jake Gyllenhaal Says He 'Learned a Lot' from The Prince of Persia's Whitewashing Backlash

[saintclaire87]

Jake Gyllenhaal Says He 'Learned a Lot' from The Prince of Persia's Whitewashing Backlash https://t.co/coQAVAu6fs
- People (@people) July 3, 2019

Jake Gyllenhaal, 38, is opening up about the backlash he received for 2010 film The Prince of Persia. The film drew criticism for whitewashing the lead character, Dastan

Comments

[bitterblueb]

I mean his role in Stronger (2017) could have gone to a disabled actor but maybe he's wokeness is not there yet

[easily_amused87]

yeah the ableism conversation in hollywood feels years and years off

[queenursula]

The film shows the person he played before they lost their legs.

[bitterblueb]

There's something called CGI? Body doubles? The truth is they didn't try

[cruel11]

I remember getting tickets last minute and they were bad seats, the entire time I only had a view of his abs up close, I was in the very front so it was difficult to see the entire picture. Didn't like it when they casted him for the role. A lot of spray tanning in that movie

[sandstorm]

the entire time I only had a view of his abs up close

Those sound like great seats tho

[elvasle]

its the only reason why i watched it in theaters.

[champagnexdream]

That’s...a lot of hoops he’s jumping through with those words. IDK why it’s so hard to be like “I fucked up. I’m a white man who played a non-white character and that wasn’t right. I won’t do it again and others shouldn’t either.” Period.

[zoaster_toaster]

That would involve him to be honest and self aware tho

[sandstorm]

Don't whitewash shit, sir. I'd go in harder on him.........but my fave was also in that movie whitewashing, so I'm gonna sit here and eat my food.

[cbluechicken]

Go in on both sis!!

[_scarlett_icons]

I wish there’d be a day where actual Persian actors are cast as heroes and not terrorists. Even in stuff like The Blacklist or Bones where there are Persian actors playing the good guys, they always get wrapped up in terrorist plots. And there’s rarely ever any backlash. No one cares.

I remember being so pissed that a non-Persian was cast in The Punisher, as a character who hated being Persian... and there wasn’t a single article or tweet or anything about how tasteless that was.

For this there was the perfect opportunity to cast an actual Persian for once, and it was wasted.

[slaygalthessily]

Have you watched FBI? The main actor is of Persian/Arabic decent and is Muslim both IRL and in show and it’s discussed. And he’s the main male character. I really liked it.

[eveofrevolution]

[slaygalthessily]

Maybe. I’m sure I looked it up at some point, but most stuff doesn’t stay in my brain. But it does have a narrative of an Arabic male who’s playing a good guy and not a terrorist, which is kind of a big deal.