Helen Mirren asks whether Jewish actors can play non-Jewish roles in wake of casting outcry
The TelegraphDame Helen Mirren has broken her silence after outcry over her casting as Golda Meir by questioning whether this means Jewish actors cannot play non-Jewish roles. The Academy award-winning actress was criticised for accepting the lead role in the upcoming biopic about Israel's first female prime minister due to the fact that she is not Jewish. Fellow actress, Dame Maureen Lipman, said last month that “ethnicity should be prioritised” in the casting for Golda, directed by Guy Nattiv, because the “ethnicity or gender of the character drives the role”. However, she also added that this approach to casting raises other questions too, saying: "You know, if someone who's not Jewish can't play Jewish, does someone who's Jewish play someone who's not Jewish?"
History of this topic
Maureen Lipman criticises Helen Mirren’s casting as Jewish politician Golda Meir in new biopic
The Independent
‘Jewface’ row: Helen Mirren shouldn’t be playing Golda Meir, says Maureen Lipman
The Telegraph
‘Jewface’ debate risks excluding great actors from the stage, says Holocaust play director
The Telegraph
Sarah Silverman criticises ‘long tradition’ of casting non-Jews in Jewish roles
The Independent
Sarah Silverman slams Hollywood over 'Jewface' casting after Kathryn Hahn is cast as Joan Rivers
Daily MailDiscover Related
)
