Attending a panel discussion at Jewish Book Week, the British actress Maureen Lipman found herself taking an outspoken position on the subject:
The director Polly Findlay spoke about casting an Israeli Arab as Shylock in her production of The Merchant of Venice, feeling that an understanding of the [character’s] outsider status is key to the role. Curious, I asked how it is that non-Jewish actors are often cast as Shylock, when rarely—since [Laurence] Olivier in 1965—has Othello been played by someone white. Shylock and his daughter are clearly identified as Jewish, so why would Jewish actors not be the director’s first port of call?
An audience member was shocked by my question. “So you’d expect a gay character to be played by a gay actor?” I had to think. “Preferably, yes,” I said, causing further shockwaves. “But surely,” I was challenged, “don’t you just get the best actor for the role?”
Yes, of course, but if fine gay actors exist (and they do) why would you not cast them? Not that Michael Douglas and Matt Damon didn’t convince as Liberace and his lover in Behind the Candelabra, . . . [but], were I an openly gay actor whose name would green-light a film, I would probably feel discriminated against.
It’s an interesting question. . . . Should I be grateful for the number of great Jewish characters I have played—or sad that in a 50-year career I’ve rarely played a “classic” role?
Read more on Standpoint: http://standpointmag.co.uk/node/6442/full