Aaron Sorkin Calls Casting Based on Race or Sexual Orientation the ‘Mother of All Empty Gestures’
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Aaron Sorkin called hiring actors based on their race or sexual orientation an “empty gesture” while defending his casting choices for Being the Ricardos.
Sorkin made the comments during a recent interview with the U.K.’s Sunday Times Culture magazine, responding to the backlash he faced for casting Spanish actor Javier Bardem cast as Cuban actor Desi Arnaz.
The filmmaker expressed frustration that the artistic community is “resegregating ourselves” over characteristics that are “not actable,” such as one’s nationality or sexual orientation.
“This should be the last place there are walls,” Sorkin said. “Spanish and Cuban are not actable.”
He went on to say that one’s facial expressions are actable, and he could direct an actor to be less “cold” on screen, adding, “but if I said: ‘Be Cuban,’ That is not actable.
“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 continued.
“So this notion that only gay actors should play gay characters? That only a Cuban actor should play Desi? Honestly, I think it’s the mother of all empty gestures and a bad idea.”
Sorkin later revealed that he does not think Gina Carano should have been fired from the Star Wars franchise after she suggested that being a present-day Republican is similar to being Jewish during the Holocaust. Carano was also slammed as transphobic when she added, “boop/bop/beep” to her Twitter profile, which was largely considered a mockery of pronoun choice.
“I could rebut some things she said, but I don’t think she should lose her job because of it,” Sorkin said of the actress. “On the other hand, if they’re losing advertisers because she’s on the show, that’s different. That’s life in a democracy. Also, it’s different if you spread misinformation about vaccines, for instance. Or incite violence. But we’re going to have to start to be OK with having our feelings hurt once in a while.”
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