Illiteracy is the worst disease that has gone untreated for decades!

I was watching the supposedly award-winning series depicting the nuclear incident in the former Soviet town of Chernobyl, with the roles played by British actors with no attempt whatsoever at authenticity. It also reminded me of various productions over the years where British actors play the role of detectives in series set in France (e.g. Maigret) or the Netherlands (e.g. Van der Valk), with many of these series so popular that they are now being remade.

The audience is treated to some authenticity in terms of the set and the usual dash of French or Dutch as the case may be. The programmes are still enjoyable as we see them for what they are and viewers are expected to show some intelligence in flowing along with that concept. But the minute there is a suggestion of a woman playing James Bond (or Idris Elba playing James Bond), there’s an outcry and oh no! it simply cannot be authentic! Surely that’s not in keeping with what Ian Fleming had in mind!

The Santa story states he is a big burly man and given he’s from Lapland he can only be….. Aaah, NO! Go and take a look at what the indigenous people from Lapland look like. Also, just how difficult is it to imagine a fairy flew over one day and decided to change Santa into a woman, a black or Chinese man etc.? But oh no!!!!! it has to be authentic? (funny isn’t it??). Even a made-up story comes with a requirement for a skewed authenticity…..

I remember those good old movies with Yul Bryner cast as a mongol, Punjab, Arab, you name it and whenever he’s not available, Anthony Quinn is there to the rescue!

We are heading to another Christmas and that European chap (Jesus) who hails from the Middle East but somehow defies had a makeup crew back then who ensured he got the European transformation will resurface, with no interest nor attempts at authenticity in this case, provided nobody claims he may have been dark or middle-eastern. We dare not impact all that merchandise that’s got to be sold, given the majority of those set to buy them are, and expect a figure they can relate to.

Education is key.

The pathetic and oftentimes lopsided fixation is truly laughable.

Right now in the UK, we can’t get enough of ‘period drama’ as they represent an era that many would wish to see return, even if it meant a return of the ruling class and peasants to serve them, as long as it maintained authenticity? And not surprisingly, the rest of the world also can’t get enough of our period dramas as it is a novelty to them (which is the reason tourism continue to boom in the UK, with people from around the world coming to see our unique castles etc.). So, can one ask a nation to forget or expunge it’s history in order to pave the way to what exactly? Unfortunately, with the booming period drama market, all our non-white actors and actresses have headed off to America for work as the only roles available to them in the period dramas, for the sake of authenticity is that of servants or handmen.

We now have the technology and infrastructure (make-up etc) to transform actors and actresses of any race to play any race but the lopsided court of public opinion will either cry out against cultural misappropriation or blackface (both deplorable if in jest of course. or done to belittle or misrepresent other stuff or to attend fact dress events) or lack of authenticity? Laughable if you have watched Chernobyl or any of those other shows. Eddie Murphy got it right in the 90s when he played multiple characters in his films: white, black, any….

Authenticity should be in the ability to pull it off! And when that fails, surely, the audience should be asked/expected to simply apply some imagination as we were expected to, in watching Chernobyl or enjoying those years and years of seeing the wonderful European Jesus plastered everywhere, from church walls, to stained glass and Christmas cards etc. It isn’t that difficult to convince so many of such a massively flawed concept, when convenient?

As the stage show, Hamilton has demonstrated, show business should be show business! If it’s good, it should be applauded. Authenticity is not defined by convenience and applied selectively. You can either be brazen about it or use the tech and makeup now available. Feel free to stick with period dramas, it is our heritage and we will not change that, but use any actor or actress in any role and if authenticity demands they appear one way or the other, use the blooming technology and get on with it!!!!!!!

In conclusion: if a white female actress is able to remember her lines and wants to play Barack Obama, why not? If a black female actress wants to play Winston Churchill, why not? AUTHENTICITY? well, refer any idiot who has an issue to go and watch Jesus Christ of Nazareth or Chernobyl or any of those other hits! or, use tech and makeup as need be. ANYONE CAN AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY ANYONE: IT’S CALLED ACTING for crying out loud!!!! Let’s get a grip world!!!!!