Are iconic red-headed characters being replaced by a different choice of casting? With all the drama and controversy with Halle Bailey, being casted as the iconic redheaded character Ariel, people don’t seem to realize that this isn’t the first time Hollywood had chosen to do this.
In fact, many other redheaded characters were played by other non-redhead actresses:
Mary Jane (Spiderman)
Mary Jane from spiderman as of 2016, casted the actress Zendaya Coleman. Back in 2016, there wasn’t as much controversy on Zendaya playing an iconic redhead character, however, there are still some disputes.
All in all, after four years, fans seem to be getting used to her face in portraying the character and are fine with it. Meaning, given time, the controversy will die down, until another “wrong casting choice” happens in Hollywood.
Ariel (Disney’s Little Mermaid)
Ariel from the little mermaid as of July 3, 2019-2020, casted the actress/singer Halle Bailey. Receiving such a huge role in most of our generation’s childhood. The 19-year-old has gotten much hate and criticism due to her “not looking like Ariel”.
Now, I do understand that most people would prefer the perfect choice casting would look like Disney’s version of Ariel herself. However, Disney did not do a very well job on their behalf. Instead, they chose an actress based on singing, rather than her appearance, which isn’t wrong.
Halle, herself, had worked on a few works for Disney, and perhaps they found a slight similarity in her personality and voice in comparison to Ariel herself.
But if this is the case, some fans claim that Disney should use the same technique as “The Greatest Showman”. Where they casted Rebecca Ferguson for the role of Jenny Lind, because she looked the role. Then casted a separate voice/singer behind the scenes to actually play the soundtrack of the film.
For example, some fans even found a similarity between Aquaman’s Mera (Amber Heard) to play the role of Ariel. As she had experience in water CGI and actually looks like Ariel herself, but older more mature.
Mystique (X-Men series)
Mystique from Marvel’s X-Men series as of 2000, casted actress Jennifer Lawrence. Unlike other movies, the filmmakers of this film did paint her hair red for the role.
However, some X-Men fans still don’t approve of their casting choice for the character as Jennifer Lawrence is originally blonde. Especially with the actress portrayal of the character itself.
Thank you so much for reading! Comment down below your thoughts or any other iconic redhead characters I may have missed.
Except… there was controversy around the Zendaya casting once it was revealed she was a version of MJ. MASSIVE controversy. The only reason people accepted is because of how I described her – a VERSION of MJ. She’s not Mary Jane Watson, she’s Michelle Jones. They’re two different characters who share the same nickname, so it’s not a big deal that she’s being played by a non-redhead.
As for Halle Bailey – no doubt she’s talented, but her talents lie in R&B. Menken’s score is much more traditional, which is something we’ve never heard Bailey perform. So I wouldn’t say she was cast solely for her voice.
I love iconic redhead characters! They’re so unique and I love their personalities. I hope Hollywood doesn’t replace them with new characters that are just like them.