#also sidenote but it’s crazy how some fans think that casting a character as black autimatically means they can no longer represent you

[poppitron360]

Just saw a video complaining about the British!Thalia casting saying that “Rick isn’t being faithful enough to the books” but like??? Clearly her nationality just isn’t that important to the character?? Not all changes are bad and actually one (very small) issue I have with the books is that they’re too Americanised. Tamara is a great actress first and foremost, but it’s a perk that this change might actually make PJO more appealing to international audiences!! Much like how British characters are FREQUENTLY Americanised in adaptations to make it sell in America (e.g Anathema Device in Good Omens).

Thalia’s nationality is not core to her character in the books. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a very minor change. The show was never gonna be exactly how you imagined it anyway.

Also, for anyone wondering if this means we’ll get British!Jason? Not necessarily. Jason was raised at the Wolf House and then at Camp Jupiter, and Thalia was born six years before him and their mother could’ve easily moved to the US in that time. In fact a larger emphasis on the differences between the siblings could serve as a good metaphor for the Greek/Roman divide- and play into the fact that Jason is not quite the “All-American Golden Boy” that he seems and how he never seemed to fit with the expectations everyone had of him.

Also imagine how all these goofy British quirks would really throw a spanner in the works for Jason in TLH. Like there’s all this weird stuff with Roman gods and speaking latin but also? He’s got a British accent that seeps through when he’s caught off guard? Weird familiar feeling that drinking tea gives him? How cute and confused would he be as he’s trying to figure out where his “home” is and he keeps getting all these mixed signals? There’s potential here, guys!

I’ve got a post in the works about British!Jason hcs, but my point is that y’all should think about how much potential something has to be great before signing it off as rubbish.

I think the movies traumatised us, and now we all think “different = bad” but this might bring some positive change, and make some people in the audience feel a bit more included and represented.

[blackgirlsuperherorants]

This may be a little stupid, idk. Personal thing.

But, I'm really starting to hate actors coming into superhero roles and saying they weren't familiar with the characters beforehand.

Like, okay, on the one hand, I get it. Not everyone read comics growing up, and some people are even from countries where DC and Marvel haven’t been very popular until recently with the influx of movies. Like, I know Sebastian Stan had no access to American comics in Romania, so of course he didn’t know who Bucky Barnes was. 

But on the other hand, sometimes it feels a little dismissive or disrespectful, or even out of touch. Like, I know I’m a superhero fan. I know I am probably more aware of obscure characters that the average person, even well versed in pop culture, may never have heard of. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if an actor said they’d never heard of Adam Warlock.

But, then you have the Teen Titans. And, you know, they’re not the MOST ICONIC DC characters, but they’ve had a popular cartoon on for at least 15 years (first Teen Titans, and now Teen Titans Go). I feel like if you’re between the ages of like 8 and 30 and grew up in the United States, you should at least, in passing, know who the Teen Titans are. Like, I remember when the original cartoon was coming on, and I heard a lot about it even before I started watching it. It was popular enough that teens and kids and adults were watching it. It was popular enough that I BELIEVE that’s why Cyborg is in the Justice League movie (because who would’ve thought to include Cyborg in that film until he got so popular through Teen Titans? If that movie came out in 2005 or something, it probably just would’ve been Green Lantern or something. Or even Martian Manhunter.) I digress. Let’s get back on track.

When I hear actors say in interviews that “I wasn’t familiar with the character before I got the role”, sometimes I wonder why they even went for the role. And, I’m an actor, too, so in some ways, I get it. You just want work. You want roles that are dynamic, interesting, fun. You want to make money and support yourself. You want roles that look good on your resume and make you desirable to cast in other work in the future. And right now, superheroes are hot and are star-making roles. You go from being “that guy in that thing” to “OMG THERE HE IS!” I get it. But also, like... there are thousands of actors registered in the Screen Actors Guild. Out of all of those actors, there have to be some who have actually heard of these characters. Why do we ALWAYS end up with actors who have never fucking heard of... the goddamn Teen Titans?

Like, I understand some of the more obscure characters not being heard of. Like, maybe Danai Gurrira never heard of Okoye before her audition, but also Okoye is obscure as hell, before the film. Even people who knew who Black Panther was didn’t necessarily know who Okoye was. Most people who thought of Black Panther thought of Storm, maybe Shuri, and maybe like Monica Lynne. Ayo, Okoye, Nakia... all of them are more obscure secondary characters in the Black Panther universe. 

I’ve been trying not to call out specific actors... but I’m going to say this, and let me tell you all and be clear, I still support her casting and am happy for her. But...

Starfire is too well known to have cast someone who didn’t already want to play her in the first place. Who didn’t already know the character, at least in passing. 

Sidenote, IDK where Miss Diop is from, so she might have grown up where they didn’t show the Teen Titans cartoon on TV. Which might be why she didn’t know who Starfire was. So, there’s that.

And, I know everyone can’t be Michael B. Jordan or Grant Gustin (superhero/comics fans long before they got their roles in their respective comicbook movies/shows.) 

But, it would be great if the studios and networks could start casting people who maybe had some idea who these characters were beforehand. Even if they aren’t fans. Like, even someone who is like “Yeah, I knew about this character and had seen them in cartoons/comics before I even read for the role.” It seems like the only time we get that is if it’s Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Batgirl/Batwoman, Catwoman... 

Y’all can’t find actors who have heard of Starfire? I’m an actor, and I’ve heard of Starfire. I’m an actor, and I’m black, and I’ve heard of Starfire. Like, I... don’t understand why so many actors, in my age range, have simply never heard of popular superhero characters unless they’re fucking Batman or Superman.

The hell y’all been? Even before I considered myself a true superhero/comics fan, when I was a child I watched superhero cartoons. Spider-Man and X-Men and Batman and Justice League and Avengers.... they came on regular TV, in blocks with other cartoons. Not even cable. Fox and WB(now CW). Even Teen Titans, it came on Cartoon Network, and was a popular series at the time (though I was already actively a self-professed superhero fan at that point.)

Like, would someone get cast as Sailor Moon and be like “I’d never heard of Sailor Moon before this audition”? I seriously doubt it.

And, I’m not saying the work suffers for it. Some of these actors do really good jobs and become iconic for their performance of the characters. Like, Sebastian Stan is probably the definitive Bucky Barnes and probably will remain that way.

And, again, I’m not talking about really obscure characters, like the Guardians of the Galaxy (and 90% of the characters from their movies: Ego, the Collector, Yondu, etc.). Most of the time, in those cases, their performances become so iconic they change the way the comics versions of their characters are portrayed. Like, Chloe Bennett with Quake. (Not saying all of those characters were the most obscure things ever. I think Collector, for instance, is pretty well known among Marvel readers. Just saying if you went to anyone on the street and said “Who is Iron Man” they’ll know what you’re talking about, but if you said “Who is Ego the Living Planet?” they might look at you crazy.)

Like, I don’t think it’s bad that someone playing Ego might have never heard of Ego.

Just, like... it get annoyed when someone is cast in some iconic thing, and we’re all excited about it, and then the interview with them is like “Lol, I never heard of this weird comics thing, but the fans are passionate, lol, don’t wanna piss them off! So, I read some comics!” Like... It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. 

I know I’ve talked like this about Elizabeth Olsen, but she actually became an expert in Wanda stories. (Her only problem, now, is acting like she’s above the whole thing in interviews.)

And I’m sure the actress that inspired this rant will do her best to make this character great, but honestly. I’m just really, really tired of hearing actors say they didn’t know anything about the thing before they were cast. 

There are a lot of us who are comics fans who knew about the thing since we were kids. It would be so easy to cast actors who at least have some context.  

I’m just saying, as long as we’re getting people playing characters that are well known and beloved, it would be great if they could have some prior knowledge. Even just a little. Like, I doubt Grant Gustin was a Flash superfan before he became Barry Allen. But I know he knew who the Flash fucking was. I know Chris Evans didn’t necessarily know everything about Captain America before he became Cap, but he knew who Cap fucking was. 

And, even if they didn’t and they had to be sent a stack of comics and read up to understand, I wish they would just... omit that part. Because saying it in interviews, to me, comes across as dismissive. Like, when actors in book movies say they didn’t read the book, I feel the same way. But it’s worse when it’s superheroes/comics, because it always comes across as looking down on the source material. Like “of course I wouldn’t know about this weird ass shit, but since it has weirdo fans who care too much...”

Like, their paychecks come from people who grew up with this stuff and love it. At least don’t treat us like freaks for caring about Starfire. Or any of our other characters.

Also, Teen Titans, specifically, seems to be really popular with people in my age range. Even people who I wouldn’t consider comicbook fans. My Facebook (which is full of people I went to high school and college with, not just superhero friends) is full of conversation about this Teen Titans series because so many of us grew up watching the original animated series. I have no curated my Facebook to be superhero rich or anything. In fact, I barely post there, because, like most people’s FB, it’s full of people I know/knew IRL and know/knew in different contexts. Actor friends. Mom’s friends from church. Family members. Classmates. People I barely know who just went to my High School. And still, I see people around my age talking about this series, because so many of us grew up with and love the Teen Titans. And so many of us have grievances with TTG. (I get why it’s the way it is, and I think it’s a perfectly funny cartoon, but I still have grievances with it.)

And, like, black folks I know have been defending Miss Diop from people who were just mad that she has brown skin. 

So, like... I just wish she wouldn’t be in interviews talking about how she knew nothing about the character. Just say you did a lot to prepare, and don’t make it weird. 

IDK. Again, it’s dumb, and it’s just me... I’m just really tired of hearing this from actors. I obviously watch a lot of superhero content, and I watch interviews with a lot of actors from this stuff, and a good percentage of them say they never heard of their character before they were cast, and a good chunk of that percentage of actors says it in a dismissive way as if the content is weird and they were ... “not a nerd” or are too high brow, an Actor! serious about their craft who would, of course, never have heard of Bizarro Superman, or whatever. (Like, I’m an actor, serious about my craft, with a degree in theatre, and studied the avant garde and have mostly only acted in avant garde pieces or serious dramatic plays, and you know what my cute ass does after curtain? I go to my cast dinner, then I go home and watch fucking Arrowverse shows or read Captain Marvel comics. None of those things are mutually exclusive, and it doesn’t make you a more serious actor to pretend liking comicbooks or superhero content is beneath you. Ask Michael B. Jordan and his many acclaimed performances.)

And, like, it’s such a privilege to even be an actor with the opportunity to be in a huge show or movie about DC or Marvel superheroes. Y’all don’t even understand. Acting is a HARD business, most of us will be lucky to even make a few hundred bucks a year acting, and have to supplement with other work. Getting steady work on a TV show is like winning the lottery. Getting steady work on a TV show that almost guarantees success, like a branded show about characters with a following already is like winning the Mega Millions lottery, and not just the couple hundred bucks scratch off. Marvel and DC are HEAVILY curated. They don’t just greenlight shows and movies. These concepts are worked on for years, from the idea, to the script, to the casting, to the filming... They don’t, for the most part, license out their characters to just anything. And, today, they pretty much have a hand on everything that is branded with their names. So, being an actor, seeing other actors get once in a lifetime opportunities to star in HEAVILY CURATED superhero content from the two biggest comics entities in the US, probably the world... and then treat it like it’s fucking stupid and beneath them? It really annoys me.

Like, trade with me, y’all. I’ll play Starfire, you come take my roles in my small, Important, Serious Theatre off off Broadway. Since you want to be an artiste, and superheroes are beneath you.

I guess that’s probably the main reason it annoys me, lol. These roles are a big deal. Nobody just randomly gets hired by DC. I can’t just waltz into an audition and suddenly I’m Nubia. They’re heavily curated projects. People sit down at tables and discuss which casting will work and why. These people won the fucking actor lottery, and they behave as if it’s nothing, and they’re better than it.

And, I respect them. Maybe they are better than it, in some ways. Maybe she dreams of holding that Oscar statuette, and this Starfire role is just to get her name more recognition. 

And also, maybe she, in particular, feels soured on it because of the racist douchebros being asswipes about the orange alien she plays being played by a black actress. (DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THAT BULLSHIT).

But.... I’m still over hearing actors talk about how much they didn’t know a thing about their characters before being cast. I mean, goddamn... What am I supposed to think about this? 

Anyway, fuck me up, if you need to. I’m being nitpicky. And, like I said, I still am happy for her and support her casting. Black women gotta work, and nothing makes me happier than seeing racist fanboys shit their pants when the character they fapped to is played by a black woman. Dunno why they thought Starfire’s alien ass was white, anyway. Aliens aren’t white, kids.

Superman ain’t white, nor is Kara. None of these aliens are white. Better not hear anything about the race of the actors cast as them... But ESPECIALLY Starfire, who is fucking ORANGE. At least Superman has skin similar to European humans in the comics. Starfire has ORANGE SKIN. 

Anyway, done. Still salty, but done.