OlderThu, 06 March 2008 at 8:29 pm
Robert Downey Jr. is a Black Man
Robert Downey Jr. plays a black man in the new movie Tropic Thunder.
Downey, 42, plays overly committed actor Kirk Lazarus, a white man cast to play a black soldier in a satire of the performing profession.
“If it’s done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,” Downey told Entertainment Weekly. “If you don’t do it right, we’re going to hell.”
Tropic Thunder hits theaters on August 15th.
DO YOU THINK this movie will be PRETTY FUNNY or WILDLY OFFENSIVE?
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APOLOGIZE FOR THE DOUBLES….
*47
I AGREE WITH YOU ALTHOUGH THERE ARE CERTAIN RAMIFICATIONS WHEN THINGS LIKE THIS HAPPEN AS YOU CAN SEE…..
HOWEVER TRY SEE IT FROM A DIFFERENT VIEW….EVEN THOUGH THIS IS THE STORY LINE IS THIS THE LAST TIME THIS WILL HAPPEN AND TO WHAT I SAID PREVIOUSLY WILL THINGS IMPROVE…?? POLITICS.
Wow! Unbelievable! Would not have known it was him.
Who cares if black peole find it offensive or not?
Aren´t they offended by everything?
I sure as hell wouldn´t care if a black guy or girl would play a whitey.
(White Chicks was really funny)
was white chicks offensive???????
I don’t think it’s offensive at all, and i agree, when the wayans brothers did the white chicks no one was offended, so why would they find this offensive? maybe Robert Downey Jr. fits to play that part in the movie. so what if there are other black actors,i dont find it offensive in any way that they chose Robert to play that part.
And that doesn’t look like him at all. it’s a total different face. haha, amazing.. :)
That’s the best make-up job I’ve seen to-date. Pretty convincing. I don’t find it offensive and I’m black, so please don’t start making this an issue when I theres none
Well at least he does look like a black man. C. Thomas Howell in Soul Man is a whole other issue. That was the most offensive movie I’d seen in a long time as far as black characters are portrayed in film. Howell didn’t even look like a black man. He looked like a white man with brown shoe polish on his face an a jheri curl wig. Compared to that movie this one looks great.
I have no idea if the content of the role will be offensive or not. It’s pretty much like Robert said… if the stars align, this could be an Oscar winner, if not… it could suck, who knows? What IS clear, is that make-up job is nothing short of phenomenal! I am so impressed by the artists attention to detail. It makes Downey’s job much harder, will his performance be as authentic as his appearance? If not, it will either be a disaster, funny as hell, or my personal favorite… BOTH!
Offensive and pathetic.
The people who are offended are offended because they DID NOT READ WHAT THE STORY BEHIND THE MOVIE IS. It’s SUPPOSED to be a white guy (he’s white in the movie) playing a black man. That’s the point. It’s not a diss saying there aren’t any talented black actors because that’s obviously untrue. Read before you post.
Everyone in the movie should be playing another race to make it funny and inoffensive.
..they should have casted Wentworth Miller…a black man who looks totally white and can only play white parts and then he gets a role where he has to be made to look more black…NOW that would be funny because the question becomes does he think of himself as a white guy or black! LMAO!
I am offended that they did not get a black male man to play this role of a white man playing a black man.
The only way this would be ok would be if the character of question was a white man playing a black man playing a white man. The irony of that casting would make sense. In this case it is simply typical hollywood racismism.
Free James Brown!
People need to take the time to actually read this stuff before posting. Jesus.
RDJ is an amazing actor. He’s not doing anything that should be offensive to anyone. He’s playing a WHITE GUY who happens to be dumb enough to think it’s a good idea to play a black guy. It’s a friggen comedy people and if you would take the time to read the details you would see that there’s nothing for anyone to be offended about. They are making fun of the ridiculousness of it.
I’m more looking forward to RDJ’s Iron Man this summer but will see this one as well.
Wow. Downey has really tapped into his African roots.
I heard Michael Jackson wanted the role but the movie people realized how difficult it would be to make him look black.
LOL, I love it! Give them the Oscar for makeup now! And RDJ makes a sexy black man. As a black female, I don’t think anyone should be offended. I mean, we haven’t even seen the movie! And from the description of the plot, it’s a parody of the ludicrousness of the Hollywood machine and it’s sometimes bizarre actors.
Ok I’m posting a link to the IMDB which should help clear up some of the confusion over this movie.
The makeup job is OUTSTANDING and Robert Downey Jr. is a SUPERB actor. Personally I’m glad he got this part because as the previous posts clearly demonstrate it’s a challenging role in what is sure to be a controversial film and we needed someone of his talent to make it shine.
Kudos to Downey for having the balls to take this role and my best wishes on this one!!!
No it does not show or prove that there is a lack of talented black actors to play the part, (at least I don’t think so). As we all know there is enough white talented male actors and yet CATE BLANCHETT still got the part to play BOB DYLAN in I’M NOT THERE. She did a pretty good job of it and got herself an Oscar Nomination. Nobody and I mean nobody ever complained and said a white man should have played that part.
Also this reminds me very much of BOYS DON’T CRY, in which a WOMAN (HILARY SWANK) played a WOMAN PRETENDING TO BE A MAN. She got an Oscar for that and there were no complains that a man should have played that role. This is similar in that a WHITE MAN (RDJ) is playing a WHITE MAN PRETENDING TO BE A BLACK MAN.
Ofcourse this is a sensitive subject given it’s history as some have already mentioned. So it’s wise to wait for this movie and get the full context of which in this day and age I’m confident it will not be derogatory toward the black human race.
Sherri, RDJr. is not playing a derogatpry character. His role in the movies should be understood “in context.”
Give me a break, the Wayans Brothers did a film where they dressed up like white ditzy blondes and called it “White Chicks”, did anyone protest that?
It’s called ACTING. Did the Autsim Society protest “Rainman”, uh, no.
That’s an INCREDIBLE make up job. I would’ve NEVER known that was Robert.
wow…you people finding this offensive are exactly what is wrong with America today. Talk about reverse-racism!!!!!!
This ARTICLE is offensive: the first two sentences flat-out contradict each other.
Are you (Just Jared) TRYING to stir up a controversy where none exists? Obviously, the only people offended here are illiterate morons, as “remember da truth” says (#47), because what they’re bitching about it exactly what the film is satirizing.
Please. This is considered offensive? No more offensive than all the other black actors who play white characters in their movie. It’s okay for blacks to insult whites when they get in white make-up but as soon as there is someone doing the reverse everyone is up in arms. What about Eddie Murphy? What about the Wayans brothers? That’s okay because reverse racism is okay. People need to settle the heck down and grow up.
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