Black actors just can’t catch a break…or a job.

A movie is coming out about Michael Jackson, Marlon Brandon, and Elizabeth Taylor taking a road trip to Ohio after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which is based on what is rumored to be a true story.

In light of the lack of diversity that Hollywood showcases, it seems they continue to get worse. The Guardian reports that Joseph Fiennes, a white man, will play Michael Jackson.

Fiennes spoke to WENN about the opportunity, “I got the script the other day. It’s a challenge. It’s a comedy. It doesn’t poke mean fun, but it’s a story, possibly urban legend, whereby Michael, Marlon Brando, and Liz Taylor were all together the day before 9/11 doing a concert. Airspace was shut down and they couldn’t get out and Michael had the bright idea to go to hire a car and drive.”

He alluded to some the moments around Brando’s desire for fast food during the trip, but also suggested the movie wasn’t all happy times.

“It’s a fun, lighthearted tongue-in-cheek road trip of what celebrity of that kind is like,” he said. “But also it’s rather beautiful and poignant about their relationships as well.”

This casting represents a deeper level of systemic racism in Hollywood. Why is a white actor playing an African-American entertainer? It seems that the casting directors already dismissed the other qualified black actors that do this job well. This was a message to all that Tinseltown favors the White face.

To no surprise, this decision is coming at the heel of the Academy Awards conversation where race does not seem apparent in mainstream film, and if it is, it is definitely not celebrated.

The Academy Awards diversity issue was magnified when white actors, directors, and crew members were nominated for awards surrounding Black movies.

So, to Joseph Fiennes, I hope you can moonwalk or else Black Twitter will eat you alive, and yes, we will all be watching.

 

Photo Credit: Andreas Rentz / Getty Images Entertainment