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Color Quota

children-multi-ethnic-3[Blind Gossip] This TV series is adding cast after a very successful first season. They really wanted to bring in another female child star to offset the current young female star of the show. They were debating among half a dozen girls from 10-15 who would have been great for the strange role… when an order came down from network executives.

They said that the cast is too white and they didn’t like the fact that all the ones we were doing call backs with were white. So we had to toss them and start over. In the end, we settled on a girl of color who can act. The bad news is that she is in her twenties! She is physically small, but I personally think it will be a stretch to try to convince people that she is a tween or young teen. We may have to rewrite the part.

We’re not sure if a girl in her twenties will make a good foil for the tween star of the show, either, but it seems that they have to make this strange quota thing work.

Similar: Cultural Appropriation

TV Show:

[Optional] Should producers have quotas on how many actors of each race are on the show… or should they cast whoever is best for the part, regardless of race?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. stephie says

    Stranger things. It sounds like the network executives are aware , and wanted it to be fixed. I don’t think they had a quota. They made a statement of fact. Cast is too white. Callbacks were all of white actresses. Change it. It’s their show. Their preference. I like it. Signed- the Mexican, Asian-white girl.

  5. sweetshe says

    Stranger Things
    I don’t know–i think affirmative action had its place but it’s not always the right decision for these situation.
    It is very apparent when the following it though.

  6. spaceship says

    Don’t know the answer to which TV Show it is, but in answer to the optional question, I think that they should cast whoever is best for the part, regardless of race………there should be no quotas!

  9. gc02ef says

    This is obv Stranger Things
    I don’t think the quota is good. It should be who is the best actor for the role, but they should make sure they audition all races.

  10. stolidog says

    Stranger Things.
    Of course they should cast diverse actors/actors [calling this a “quota” is a super stretch] to appeal to as broad an audience as they can. TV is lily white and super straight right now.

  15. dreameroc says

    Racism is basing a decision on race
    I’m sick of the anti white crap
    Although white immigrant from country discriminated based on my religion _real discrimination like says if ur Catholic certain jobs not available

  17. tellmemore says

    Stranger Things.

    It sounds like change merely for the sake of change. Too bad; I liked that show.

  20. Blackorchid85 says

    Stranger Things

    No they shouldn’t have a quota. They should cast whoever is best for the part. But they should definitely make an effort to have a wide range of ethnicities at auditions.

  21. alexag says

    Show: Stranger Things
    Actress: Linnea Berthelsen

    I feel that race should not play a factor, but it’s sad that there are quotas to ensure inclusion.

  23. littleOP says

    TV Show Stranger Things.

    I think there is a fixed bias in some casting decision, because a certain genre in this case SciFi/Fantasy has mostly shown only certain genders ages races or culture. From an executive perspective in any industry, having a choice bias that excludes someone can limit success. Creatively they need to paint with broader strokes, managerially diversity rocks. Personally I don’t think they tried hard enough if they only found someone in their 20s.

  25. afternoondelight says

    Stranger Things
    This is ridiculous. I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and hardly ever saw an African American. I saw a lot of Arab Americans. So it would make sense that a small town or city in Indiana, which is where the story takes place, would be all white people.

  27. littleOP says

    Quvenzhané Wallis could be an option. She is 13.
    Sydney Mikayla 13
    Riele Downs 15

    Those are just the ones I could find quickly.

  28. luvprue1 says

    Tv Show : Don’t know /Something on Disney

    Optional : I for one think that the world is very diverse, so a TV show that wants to have a bigger audience should reflect that.

  29. smileyriot says

    Stranger Things

    Diversity is never a bad thing, but I’m sure they could’ve found someone younger.

  30. northernlight says

    Stranger Things.
    Representation & visibility are important, but quotas that lead you down a bad casting path? No.
    I hope they don’t ruin this show … the kids they have are great. No need to throw another girl into the mix.

  31. spunkie brewster says

    Stranger Things
    They should hire the best person for the role, regardless of race. I’m so tired of this race war. Stop making EVERYTHING about race. Nobody asked to be born whatever color they are or aren’t. When I see legitimate racism, sexism, bigotry in general, I speak up. Enough pussyfooting around people of color to not hurt feelings. Stop blaming innocent people for things others have done. Enough with all the hate in the world. Can’t people just start spreading love and kindness…

  32. CoCoJoe says

    Sorry, but I don’t think that it should be that hard to find a non-white teenage actor. How about an Asian or a South Asian? Is it that show with the young cast and father who is exploiting his position to make an extra buck? I think it might have Einstein in the title.

  44. CevansLeftpec2 says

    Stranger Things. People of color exist in the real world, so why shouldn’t they exist in media? It’s absurd that we’re in 2016 and this is still something considered ‘controversial’ that needs to be argued about. The black boy is damn near the only poc on the show, and I highly doubt that the only capable actors they auditioned just so happened to ALL be white.

  47. TonySheridan says

    You can’t tell me that there aren’t young teens/tweeners of color that can act out there. Sounds like someone is setting this up to fail.

  49. setare.x says

    TV show: Stranger Things
    Actress who has just been casted is Linnea Berthelsen.
    I think producers should have quotas on how many actors of each race they have in their show and plus there are many poc actor/actresses so they shouldn’t have a problem finding one.

  50. brobdingnagian says

    Not sure about the tv show.

    My deal is I can’t believe they couldn’t find a tween girl of color. Hollywood is full of talented
    young girls of color. How long and hard did they look? Something seems way off.

  57. SpareRun says

    Stranger Things. There shouldn’t be a quota, just cast who’s best. The kids on the show clearly look like kids so it will look stupid to have a twenty-something with them

  59. GoesInCircles says

    Strange Things

    The best person for any job should be given the job, unfortunately there are too many bigots out there that we still need quotas.

  60. thelasthigh says

    they should make an effort to have racially diverse casts because representation is important. too many roles (usually leads) aren’t open to minorities at all.

  63. HotTeacher88 says

    Quota? On a night like this, we are asking about quotas? It’s called diversity. The problem is in the actor choice, not the race. They should just go with a younger actor and keep the diversity.

  70. armacca says

    Stranger Things

    Optional: Actors should be cast by whoever has the best ability to perform the material. I honestly don’t care who is on my screen as long as they can act and physically suit the part.

  71. jolael says

    Stranger Things
    [Optional] Should producers have quotas on how many actors of each race are on the show… or should they cast whoever is best for the part, regardless of race? – no it shouldn’t matter – whoever is best for the job.

  74. JennyJustice says

    Stranger Things, hence all the “strange” clues. Millie Bobby Brown is getting too much attention and annoying people in the press as of lately.

  76. missmissy says

    Stranger Things – yes. There have been casting quotas for decades… they have only privileged white. Time for more people of color on tv getting opportunities.

  82. geekgirl says

    Stranger Things? (clue: strange quota)

    They should cast whomever is best for the role and not try to shoehorn someone in because of colour. The balance should be based on things such as geography and not because you don’t want to offend anyone.

  86. I Am PunkA says

    Stranger Things

    No quotas, but it is smart to make shows reflect the make up of America. America may be about 70% white, but other groups still need to be represented. We are a diverse society, so reflect it.

  88. prinny says

    Thats what I was thinking. I find it hard to believe that there aren’t any younger, non-white actors out there. They just need to keep looking. If they can’t find, they can’t find….

  90. Dot says

    Whoa there. Are you saying she can’t be white since she’s mexican and asian? My husband’s white, I’m asian. Our kids are just considered asian then?

    Only a Sith deals in absolute.

  91. LooLoo says

    It is a sad thing to have to tell all those kids- sorry, you won’t be getting a callback because of the color of your skin.

  93. stephie says

    My dad is Mexican , and my mom is half Japanese and half white. ( her mom was full
    Blooded Japanese , and her father was an army man who was German Irish ). So yeah. There’s some white there. Unsure why this is a debate though…

  94. aweeks062 says

    Right? What if her Dad is halfMexican half white as is her Mom but half Asian half white? Like there are plenty of ways to be a Mexican, Asian, white girl lol

  95. aweeks062 says

    Stranger Things
    Lots of “strange” clues
    SNL even did a skit about how they needed to add more “color”

  97. geekgirl says

    Exactly! I live in a town in Scotland and although there are large communities of different types races in the cities, I could count on one hand the number of minorities that I would see on my walk in the town centre. If you’re basing it on a small town in a state that is predominantly white then make the cast predominantly white!

  98. Parade says

    Mexican isn’t a race, neither is American. She’s Azteca or Incan with Spanish and or some French or African.

  99. tellmemore says

    Just to clarify: when I say “change for the sake of change” I’m talking about adding a new cast member. Not what race she is. The best time to think about diversity would have been while they were creating the core group of characters. Audiences like to get to know the characters and not have to keep getting new ones.

  100. KellyNotRipa says

    really? I see TV being very diverse now. It is not uncommon anymore to have a gay character or people of all ethnicites… and to also have women driven shows that portray women as leaders and strong, smart characters.

    American Horror Story, Modern Family, Grey’s, How to Get Away with Murder, The Walking Dead, Big Bang, This Is Us, Orange is the New Black, etc.