About Toph auditions

[StickyFingers]

If the character is white and the actor/actress is black or of a much different skin color how is he/she "perfect" for the role? If you are speaking solely on their acting ablilities thats a little narrow minded dont you think?

You guys need to stop making me laugh so early in the morning. Ugh.
Prefering acting ability over skin tone may be a lot of things, but it is not "narrow-minded". Prefering skin tone over acting ability -- that's narrow-minded. Believing that skin tone must be discarded in order to find the best acting ability -- that's narrow minded. Believing that the skill of an actor is more important than their epidermal pigmentation? Not narrow-minded.

As much as i want to believe that all you need is the acting ability to get any role. No, i dont think so. What you are saying here is, all you need is "good" acting ability do act any character and you'll be chosen for the part. Frankly and i am speaking in a very general term, if you pick any actress you can think off out of the barrel. You will find that most of them have infact "good" acting abilities. What im saying is the director or whoever is incharge of casting, to cast the actress based solely off their acting abilities, how much they are like their character and not their overall performance(Which includes how much they look like the character) to an extend, very idiotic. Ok maybe narrow minded wasn't the right word for me to use but yeah this is how i feel. If you want to cast someone you look at the whole package and not just go "oh hey she can really act like her. You get the part" and just to add Toph is infact asian, just look at her name Toph Bei Fong, for those who think you dont have to be asian to have an asian name. Ok look at her parents in the series they are clearly asian.

[Macready84464]

As much as i want to believe that all you need is the acting ability to get any role. No, i dont think so. What you are saying here is, all you need is "good" acting ability do act any character and you'll be chosen for the part. Frankly and i am speaking in a very general term, if you pick any actress you can think off out of the barrel. You will find that most of them have infact "good" acting abilities. What im saying is the director or whoever is incharge of casting, to cast the actress based solely off their acting abilities, how much they are like their character and not their overall performance(Which includes how much they look like the character) to an extend, very idiotic. Ok maybe narrow minded wasn't the right word for me to use but yeah this is how i feel. If you want to cast someone you look at the whole package and not just go "oh hey she can really act like her. You get the part" and just to add Toph is infact asian, just look at her name Toph Bei Fong, for those who think you dont have to be asian to have an asian name. Ok look at her parents in the series they are clearly asian.

I go to the movies to be entertained. not to see people that look like original characters. If i wanted to do that i would just troll through here looking at all the pictures of people that are posted that are all obviously not going to be in the movie. chances are Shyamalan will pick up more nobodies to play the new characters. It's nice seeing someone that hasn't been labeled with another show. makes it easier to believe in it. Personally i don't relate jackson rathbone with twilight. Jasper was in the movie for a few minutes and had about 3 lines.

[StickyFingers]

We are have very different views on what we look for when we watch movies. To me when you are going to make a movie based of an animated show. You best make sure that your actors/actresses can both look and play the part, otherwise whats the point? Why dont you call the show something else (Eg.Dragonball = SnakeBall). Just look at dragon ball to me its a joke, and im sorry but i dont get your "troll though here looking at...etc" bit and i never said that had to look exactly like their character. Its practically impossible to mimic your looks to a 2D drawing, i just want to see resemblance like some of their features or skin color. Maybe some people don't mind a dark skined actor playing a fair skinned character vice versa but yeah thats not something i want to see.

[Macready84464]

why does everyone always bring up dragonball? Dragonball failed for many reasons. Most of which had nothing to do with the races of the characters that were chosen. Even if the characters had been portrayed correctly it would have bombed. And just like we have very different views on what we look for when we watch movies we also have very different interpretations of what we think Toph would look like as an actual person. It would be nice if they could manage to get an asian girl to play toph but more importantly her character needs to remain intact. And she needs to be able to look convincing with her martial arts/bending.

[StickyFingers]

I guess that makes sense. I agree completely. One thing i want to add and stress from my previous post not to blow my own horn or anything.

when you are going to make a movie based of an animated show. You best make sure that your actors/actresses can both look and play the part, otherwise whats the point?

[sachianna]

I guess that makes sense. I agree completely. One thing i want to add and stress from my previous post not to blow my own horn or anything.

when you are going to make a movie based of an animated show. You best make sure that your actors/actresses can both look and play the part, otherwise whats the point?

This is a nice statement in theory, but so far, there hasnt been a movie adaptation of an animated cartoon that has been COMPLETELY accurate yet.(if I am wrong please tell me.) If the characters were infact ethnically correct I think Avatar would be EPIC, however the general audiences might not be convinced.

The bottom line. Movies and Movie Prodution Companies are only about one thing...MONEY. MONEY and MORE MONEY. Its sad, but it is definately true. Their strategy for TLA casting was to yes, get a cast that had good acting skills and would appeal to the general masses, who really couldn't careless what the skin colors of the characters were totally switched....they might be like "oh, i thought katara was dark skinned...oh well." Unfortunately, The BIG money lies in the Ignorant masses, and not with the well versed fans of the fandom.

In short, Paramount isn't making this movie for us (Avatar diehards).....they are making if for THEM and their Profits.

In spite of this, I am still going to see this movie as I have stated numerous times on this forum because my devotion to the fandom simply rises above and beyond the race issue. Yeah, I would have liked everything to be perfect castwise, but, Oh well...Its not like this is anything new.......one day equality and equal representation will happen in movies, but it is not this day

[Project 86]

db failed because the script and director were horrible it could of be an all Asian cast and it would not of mattered

[sachianna]

db failed because the script and director were horrible it could of be an all Asian cast and it would not of mattered

Exactly.

[StickyFingers]

I guess that makes sense. I agree completely. One thing i want to add and stress from my previous post not to blow my own horn or anything.

when you are going to make a movie based of an animated show. You best make sure that your actors/actresses can both look and play the part, otherwise whats the point?

This is a nice statement in theory, but so far, there hasnt been a movie adaptation of an animated cartoon that has been COMPLETELY accurate yet.(if I am wrong please tell me.) If the characters were infact ethnically correct I think Avatar would be EPIC, however the general audiences might not be convinced.

The bottom line. Movies and Movie Prodution Companies are only about one thing...MONEY. MONEY and MORE MONEY. Its sad, but it is definately true. Their strategy for TLA casting was to yes, get a cast that had good acting skills and would appeal to the general masses, who really couldn't careless what the skin colors of the characters were totally switched....they might be like "oh, i thought katara was dark skinned...oh well." Unfortunately, The BIG money lies in the Ignorant masses, and not with the well versed fans of the fandom.

In short, Paramount isn't making this movie for us (Avatar diehards).....they are making if for THEM and their Profits.

In spite of this, I am still going to see this movie as I have stated numerous times on this forum because my devotion to the fandom simply rises above and beyond the race issue. Yeah, I would have liked everything to be perfect castwise, but, Oh well...Its not like this is anything new.......one day equality and equal representation will happen in movies, but it is not this day

This is the sad truth i guess =/ i mean like you said just imagine Avatar with the right cast and how much of an impact it will have. Its just mind-blowing really. Money money money >.> dam them

[Hatter]

You guys are missing the point... This has little to nothing to do with Toph LOOKING like the cartoon character, and has everything to do with Toph Bei Fong being inherently Asian. In name, clothes, culture, looks, and... well... Everything! I feel like people didn't even read my last post. It has so much less to do with the characters looks, and more to do with her identity. I mean, diverse Avatar is great. Fantastic concept, but Avatar with NO Asians at all? Wrong. It just isn't right, and lets face it, Toph Bei Fong is NOT a white girl name. Toph isn't, and never has been, white. What about her seems white to you guys? Seriously. And don't give me that 'acting ability,' crap. There are pleanty of talented Asian girls out there who cold play Toph. We'ver already broght up Zoe Weizenbaum and Xu Jiao, and there are bound to be more.