The inspiration for this post came from a recent article on Racialicious asking why Black Americans are playing roles meant for Africans.The article raised several interesting points and, while I didn't agree with everything written, I could at least see where the writer was going and I appreciated that she didn't write as if she had all the answers.

However, reading through the comments elicited a very different reaction in me. On the plus side, many commentators made a sincere effort to see more than just their own side of the story (a common trait amongst commentators on the site, IMO). On the minus side, there were a few comments that really pissed me off.

When I sat down to write this post I realised that I had so much to say about this topic (and closely related issues) that I could easily end up writing the kind of bloated blog post that, as a reader, annoys the hell out of me. So I asked myself two simple questions:

1. What do I not want to do?
2. What do I want to achieve?

Answering question 1 was fairly straightforward:

• I do not want to challenge or attack the commentators who pissed me off
• I do not want to dissect the statements those commentators made
• I do not want to judge or criticise the actors I mention in my post - this is not about the individuals
• I do not want to make the ultimately futile attempt at writing the definitive post about “what South Africans think”

Answering question 2 was more difficult. Eventually I decided that I would concentrate on these two key points (possibly with a few minor digressions):

• Why I think casting for any role should be open to pretty much anyone, regardless of nationality
• Why I am uncomfortable with the practice of routinely casting non-South Africans as headliners in South African stories, about South Africans and set in South Africa

The above points read as contradicting each other but I’ll do my best to explain why I feel able to hold two such contradictory opinions.

Why I think casting for any role should be open to pretty much anyone, regardless of nationality.

I grew up in South Africa during the Apartheid-era. Most aspects of our lives were governed by what we could not say and do. People, activities, books, music, films, television programmes and newspaper articles (the list goes on) were banned or legislated to death at the drop of a hat. The government of the time did their best to regulate our very thoughts. So I have an instinctive antipathy to statements that contain, “you must”, “you can’t” or “you shouldn’t”. I’m uncomfortable with blanket rules that can easily be subverted to disadvantage or oppress people.

So, if a juicy South African role is up for grabs (no matter the ethnicity of the character) I support that anyone can audition for that role – be they South African or not. I don’t want to be a member of the “you can’t do this” brigade. I certainly don’t want a situation where non-South Africans feel they are barred from applying for South African roles. I accept that there can be instances where a non-South African could be the better choice to play a South African role. So, no banning, barring or shunning, even if I disagree with the casting.

Why I am uncomfortable with the practice of routinely casting non-South Africans as headliners in South African stories about South Africans and set in South Africa.

I can’t think of an international film about South Africa where the lead roles were played by South Africans. At best, South Africans were cast in supporting roles. At worst, I couldn’t find any South African names in the cast list. I exclude District 9 because I’m thinking of films that have an emotional resonance of some kind with a significant number of South Africans. (See the list at the end of the post.)

If such casting was rare I wouldn’t have a problem. But it’s not rare. Internationally marketed films about South Africa routinely star non-South Africans. In fact, it’s pretty much the only way our stories can reach a wider audience. Many of the stories told are based on, or inspired by, true events – events that are in living memory for many South Africans.

Watching these films has a profound emotional effect on me. I can’t view such films dispassionately and rate them only on technical aspects or economic considerations. I hate being distracted by dismal, if valiant, attempts at South African accents. Even on the rare occasions when the accents are acceptable (e.g. South African critics praised Juliette Binoche’s accent in Country of My Skull) I am nevertheless aware that I am not watching a South African. I can’t fully connect to the film as a consequence.

The actors did not live these experiences. Those close to them did not live these experiences. They didn’t even observe these experiences first-hand. They might feel a strong emotional connection with the characters and the subject matter but in the end it is still just a role they’re playing.

I’m acutely aware of how language is used, of how the complex racial and cultural dynamics are portrayed, the effect of body language and even eye contact. I want to at least have a choice as to whether I watch important South African stories either with local or international headliners.

Consider this: how would Americans feel if every single movie made about John F Kennedy, Malcolm X or Martin Luther King Jr. had foreigners in the lead roles? Not a few movies, not even some – all of them. Do you think there might be a few rumbles of discontent?

Maybe I am being unreasonably picky but this is how I feel and it angers me when others, especially non-South Africans (most who have never even been here on holiday!), treat my opinions as being of no consequence and without any reasonable basis. Disagree with me, by all means, but don’t treat me as if I do not have a right to my opinion.

Note: I acknowledge that international stars bring in the numbers. After all, the movie industry is just that…an industry...and one that wants to make as much money as possible. So they’ll use the actors they think will bring in the most revenue. Business is business. I get that.

I also acknowledge that the local film industry needs to do more and that things are slowly changing in that regard. I know that international film companies that come here are a valuable source of employment for local actors and crews (my brother has worked in the SA film and television industry for the past 15 years - in fact, he was a crew member on Boesman and Lena). I recognise and value the contributions of international actors and film companies.

To reiterate, this post is not about bashing individuals. This is about how I, as a South African and a media consumer, feel about how my country's stories are treated in the international arena.

Check out the list below. The film names are hyperlinked to their IMDB pages.

A Dry White Season (Donald Sutherland, Susan Sarandon, Marlon Brando, Jürgen Prochnow and Susannah Harker)

Boesman and Lena (Danny Glover and Angela Basset)

Catch a Fire (Tim Robbins and Derek Luke)

Cry Freedom (Kevin Kline, Denzel Washington, Ian Richardson, John Thaw, John Hargreaves and Josette Simon)

Cry, the Beloved Country (James Earl Jones, Richard Harris and Charles S Dutton)

Disgrace (John Malkovich)

Goodbye Bafana (Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert and Diane Kruger)

In My Country / Country of My Skull (Samuel L Jackson and Juliette Binoche)

Invictus (Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon and Scott Eastwood)

Stander (Thomas Jane, Deborah Kara Unger, David Patrick O’Hara and Dexter Fletcher)

*It’s also just been announced that Jennifer Hudson will play Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in an upcoming film.