Reel Representation Why More Animated Black Characters Should Be Voiced By Black Voice Actors:
By:Manar Abrre
Representation matters. And that’s not just a cliché, it's the truth. On June 24, actress Jenny Slate announced on her Instagram that she would no longer be voicing Missy, a visibly Black biracial character on the show Big Mouth, as of the end of season 4. Actress Kristen Bell and actor Mike Henry have also terminated their roles as the voices of Molly, a biracial character on Central Park, and Cleveland Brown, a Black character on Family Guy, respectively. The Simpsons’ producers have also announced that they will recast the voices of the many non-White characters on the show that have been voiced by White actors. These statements have been released amidst growing support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the Black community in general.
White actors voicing fictional characters who are Black isn’t inherently problematic, as the goal of casting directors is to cast a voice that best fits the character and voices are not dependent on race. Fictional characters also have individual personalities that are the focus of their presence in media and shouldn’t be simplified to just their races. However, given the context of the film and TV industry is where the issue is. The whitewashing of Black characters has long been apparent on screen.
Animated Black characters are often voiced by white voice actors, like the many examples above, and even in live-action, many Black characters are played by the same handful of Black or biracial actors, and many cast and crews portraying Black characters in their work generally lack Black representation. This practice not only removes Black people and our perspectives to contribute from the art forms representing us but also limits many qualified and talented Black actors from this industry, especially on the mainstream/ Hollywood level, encouraging tokenism and discouraging Black people who aspire to advance in this industry.
When Black people are removed from the art forms representing us, the portrayal of Black characters is susceptible to misrepresentation, stereotypes, and lack of character complexity. When a cast and crew don’t know what the Black experience is like, they are more likely to create characters that conform to stereotypes and continue the narrative that Black people can only be a certain way, and are more likely to misrepresent Black issues if applicable to the show. This leads to a lack of character development that mimics real-life people, takes away from having characters with diverse personalities, and doesn’t allow them to simply exist as a realistic character that happens to be Black.
The few Black actors that make constant appearances in Hollywood are also taken as tokens in the industry. Hollywood constantly casts the same actors to play Black characters and usually favours lighter-skinned and/or biracial actors (especially women) to play roles. These roles are often also based on stereotypes and lack variety in character personality. This leaves less room for everyday Black people to see part of themselves on screen.
Overall, the mainstream film and TV industry have a lot of work to do when it comes to accurate and thoughtful representation and creating fair opportunities for diverse Black stories to be told by Black voices. The acknowledgement of this inequality is important, and it is great to see those in this industry recognizing this and creating these opportunities going forward.