tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post116985433144189451..comments2024-02-10T18:19:36.406-08:00Comments on Newspaper Rock: Native left out of PlatoonRobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-1170575563706499902007-02-03T23:52:00.000-08:002007-02-03T23:52:00.000-08:00Wrong again? "I guess you don't think much of Nati...Wrong again? "I guess you don't think much of Native actors" is a spot-on response to "Native persons who audition for movie and TV roles either don't have the experience (it was writerfella's fifteenth such audition) or the training to realize they must know their lines." If you don't like my noting your denigration of Native actors, don't denigrate them.<BR/><BR/>All we know from the original posting is that Stone first cast a Native actor and then cast a non-Native. We have no evidence whatsoever about his thinking. The simplest explanation is that Stone hired the Native actor because he was qualified...the Native couldn't do the job for some reason...so Stone hired a non-Native because he was too busy or lazy or uncaring to find another qualified Native.<BR/><BR/>Your implied alternative--that Stone auditioned many Native actors but couldn't find another qualified one--is less straightforward and credible than mine. Such a search would've cost Stone time and money. Going by Occam's Razor, my theory is the more likely one.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-1170276685693611202007-01-31T12:51:00.000-08:002007-01-31T12:51:00.000-08:00So you don't think any Native actor was good enoug...So you don't think any Native actor was good enough to fill the <I>Platoon</I> role? Not even Graham Greene, Wes Studi, or Gary Farmer? I guess you don't think much of Native actors.<BR/><BR/>Let's consider a few other hypotheses. Maybe Oliver Stone was ignorant of the breadth of Native talent. Maybe he didn't try hard enough to find an acceptable Native actor. Maybe he didn't think such an actor would be appealing or commercial enough. <BR/><BR/>There are many possibilities, and a dearth of Native actors is only one of them. If Mel Gibson could find several acceptable Mexican Indian actors, I'm guessing Stone could've found one acceptable American Indian actor. If Stone bothered to search at all, he had an entire continent of Indians to choose from.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-1170115995388303212007-01-29T16:13:00.000-08:002007-01-29T16:13:00.000-08:00On the other hand, Whiteman's point was that the S...On the other hand, Whiteman's point was that the Sgt. Elias character was originally supposed to be a Native. Casting an actor who isn't recognized for being Native in another, non-Native role isn't an equitable trade. The point still stands: A major character in <I>Platoon</I> went from being Native to non-Native.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29769707.post-1170115271437164572007-01-29T16:01:00.000-08:002007-01-29T16:01:00.000-08:00Wikipedia says, "Berenger was born Thomas Michael ...Wikipedia says, "Berenger was born Thomas Michael Moore to an Irish Catholic family in Chicago, Illinois." I don't know anything about his Native background, so why don't you fill us in?<BR/><BR/>I can't vouch for author Whiteman, but yes, this is a context where being part-Native would be relevant. If Berenger has some Native ancestry, it would undercut Whiteman's argument.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01478763837213733775noreply@blogger.com