And here’s why.
Hollywood's been known to whitewash and use blackface for many of their movies. But it's 2017, they've moved on from that. Or have they?
Mena Massoud, was chosen to take the lead role of Aladdin in Disney's new live-action film.
Choosing Mena Massoud was a brilliant pick by Disney. Massoud was born in Egypt and raised in Canada. He's also been in several movies beforehand: Nikita, Open Heart and Saving Hope as non-major roles. He definitely has the look and experience to play Aladdin.
What makes Massoud, in my opinion, a great choice is that he has struggled in the film industry because of his skin color and understands the importance of it. He's previously stated in an interview, "I can't compete for roles that require me to be Caucasian or African American, even if those characters really connect with me and intrigue me."
What's important to note as well is that Massoud is VISIBLY Arab. His features (dark thick eyebrows, dark eyes, tan skin, long nose, large lips) are comparable to many, many South Asian and Arab men. This is somewhat critical because Aladdin is one of the few movies that now have the ability to finally project a non-terrorist image for Middle Easterns and Desis. So people can now think and say, "he looks like/is from the same place as the guy in Aladdin" and not "the terrorist from London Has Fallen."
But we can't celebrate Disney's one step forward to taking on a diverse lead just yet when they chose this actress to play as Jasmine.
Naomi Scott was named for the second lead role for the live action film.
Choosing Naomi Scott was a cheap shot, and perhaps one of the most open displays to Hollywood's progressivism. Instead of another Desi, Arab or even Persian actress, they found someone who isn't much of either. In this way, Disney is showing us that they haven't taken up the full responsibility of choosing a cast that represents the actual character.
Scott is British-part-Gujarat Indian descent from Uganda. She's starred in movies like Power Rangers and Terra Nova. While Scott may be a great actress and singer, she doesn't quite square up to Jasmine. The fact that she can pass off as "white" (as you can tell from a single Google Image search) and would probably need a good tan and great makeup artists to be Jasmine's tone is a little problematic. Why?
Because now Arab/Persian/Desi girls can no longer relate to a star that is supposed to represent them. They can't say "she looks like me", because she doesn't. Jasmine is just as dark as Aladdin is in the original Disney film, has a big nose and thick black eyebrows; all of which are a general chunk of features that women from those three regions share. While Scott shares some ancestral ties there, she has none of those features.
It's important note is that looks do mean a lot, especially to minorities and people of color who need proper representation in the media and film industry. But who's to know: maybe Disney chose Scott to not scare off their conservative white platform by producing a movie with a lead who identifies as European, but has the familial lineage to play Jasmine?