When I was an undergraduate, one of my acting teachers said that you start with a stereotype and build a character from there, adding as much complexity as the role allows. In my recent conversation with Yuval David, he talked about how perceptions of his Jewishness have affected his career.
Yuval David:
“I started out in this industry as an actor where I had to be the ‘everyman’ who could blend in and lose myself in every character. I could be a chameleon because I speak different languages and specialize in accents and play all of these different characters. But I would also deal with these elements from casting directors — and even my own representation — who would say that I was ‘too Jewish’ or sometimes ‘not Jewish enough.’
“I recently had a fifth callback for a major film. … They said that they loved what I did, but could I try it again and do it ‘more Jewish’? What does that mean? … So, I gave them multiple takes as every Jewish stereotype, first shrugging, miming and davening while I talked, then like an Israeli who is both hitting on you and trying to sell you products. I did one as a New Yorker. ‘Hey! Can I get a little more shmear on this bagel?’ And then I did one just like me because I am very Jewish.
“Early on, I was told to hide who I am and maybe even change my name to something like ‘David Northstone’ to blend in. No. I need to be who I am, not hide who I am. And people will either like me or they won’t. …Being openly Jewish and proudly Jewish in entertainment and media has its joys and challenges.”
Meeting Expectations
This exchange got me thinking about other conversations I’ve had about the stereotypes that actors are often asked to portray. For all of the supposed “liberalism” of show-business, individual humanity is often lost as we try to meet others’ expectations. For example, Black and Latino actors are often asked to be “more urban” and they all know what that means: Act like the gun-toting, drug-dealing, ghetto thug that mostly White audiences expect you to be, not the articulate professional that you have worked so hard to become.
TJ Johnson recounted an audition in which a casting director saw Clarence Darrow on his resumé. The director looked up at this African-American man with a puzzled look and remarked, “Clarence Darrow… That’s an interesting choice to cast you in that role.” TJ explained, “Well, you see, I’m an Actor, not a Black-tor… and I didn’t get the job.”
Likewise, Roxanne Carrasco related an audition in which a director remarked, “I don’t know if you’re Latina enough.” What?! Roxanne speaks Spanish fluently, has light brown skin, dark eyes and a thick head of dark hair. The first time I saw her, Roxanne’s fiery stage presence reminded me of Rita Moreno in her heyday. She couldn’t be any Latina-er. What did this director want, acrylic nails adorned with rhinestones and a restraining order against her tatted-up cholo baby-daddy? The director didn’t specify, but I loved Roxanne’s reaction. She looked right at him and snapped, “Well I don’t think you’re Black enough!” He opened his mouth, thought better of it, then said softly, “Point taken.” Roxanne didn’t get that job either.
Local busker David Kamatoy got into juggling when he realized that his degree in Musical Theatre would only open so many doors for a short, brown-skinned Filipino: “Can you picture me in The Sound of Music? High on a hill is a lonely goatherd… Hey! There’s the beloved Von Trapp family, but who’s that kid with the tan?”
Personally, I’m not opposed to cross-cultural casting when it works. There are brilliant actors of many backgrounds who are well-known for their Shakespearean work and the themes of the Folio are universal enough to pull that off. Moreover, the diverse casting of Hamilton is taking Broadway by storm. Some right-wing critics like to point out that such diversity was not reflected in the nation’s founding, but Lin Manuel Miranda knows that. His point is to reflect how the ideals of our nation’s founding have made us the diverse society we are today.
On the other hand, there are dangers to cross-cultural casting if the actors don’t connect with the culture they are portraying. In the Rep’s production of Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar, Richard Baird played an anxiety-driven, Woody Allen-type Jew. In talkbacks, a few audience members remarked, “You’re not really Jewish, are you?” Baird replied defensively, “No, but I’m not an art-curator either. It’s called acting.” While he’s not exactly wrong, as Jews, we know when our “Jew-dar” beeps… and when it doesn’t.
In my own show, Tales of Chelm, an actor dropped out because of a conflict and I needed to fill the role right away. My first impression of Matt Murphy was that this lanky, blond fellow looked more like an Elf from Middle Earth than a shtetlnik, yet he had the charm, energy and comic-timing we were looking for. I took him to shul with me so that he would better understand what a Torah scroll is, but there was still a language barrier. No matter how hard he tried, Matt just couldn’t make the ch-sound in Chelm and he so butchered a Hebrew phrase that we had to cut it.
Nevertheless, I’m glad that we found Matt. During the run, he started flirting his castmate, Megan and they are now married with a beautiful little girl. I wasn’t planning on playing matchmaker, but I love that my show brought these two souls together.
In conclusion, I’ve heard it said that the best directors direct by listening. This is how you get the best out of your artists because being open to their ideas frees them to be more creative and bring their best work, not just mollify their boss. Dr. Beeb Salzer, another of my professors stated, “The worst thing you can give any director is exactly what they want.” His rationale was that designers owe it to themselves to fight for their own artistic vision as part of the collaborative process of theatre.
So, the moral of the story is a message to casting directors. Change the note from “Be more [ethnic stereotype]” to “Be more genuine. Connect to what you think this person is thinking and feeling in this moment.” This will make actors feel more empowered and less insulted, creating works of art that are collaborative, creative and genuine.
And that’s show-biz!
Republished from San Diego Jewish World