Aaron Sorkin blasts woke casting as ‘empty gestures’

“It’s heartbreaking and a little chilling to see members of the artistic community resegregating ourselves,” Sorkin told The Sunday Times in an interview targeting cancel culture and ‘Being the Ricardos’ critics. 

The ‘West Wing’ creator has found himself at the center of a cultural debate on identity politics as his latest film has been criticized over the casting of Spanish actor Javier Bardem as a Cuban character. 

Sorkin said he does not support Hollywood movements to have certain roles only played by actors who share certain characteristics. The writer, for instance, sees no value in a gay character only being able to be played by a gay actor.

“Nouns aren’t actable. Gay and straight aren’t actable. You can act being attracted to someone, but can’t act gay or straight,” he said. 

Limiting the casting in his new film based on this thinking would have been the “mother of all empty gestures and a bad idea,” Sorkin, who wrote and directed the feature, added. 

He contrasted the casting decision with blackface, an outdated practice in which white actors don theatrical makeup to portray caricatures of black people.

“We know that Mickey Rooney with the silly piece in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and that makeup, doing silly Japanese speak, we know that’s demeaning. This is not, I felt,” the writer said.    

‘Being the Ricardos’ centers on the romance between real-life actors Lucille Ball (played by Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (portrayed by Bardem) on the set of ‘50s sitcom ‘I Love Lucy’.

While Sorkin’s recent critiques of cancel culture and woke casting has gotten some support, the screenwriter has also been blasted for “privilege” and being out of touch by others. 

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