ROFL Robert Downey Jr is black

[Cant_Be_Faded]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=528496&in_page_id=1773



He plays a "rather convincing black guy"

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Race row as actor Robert Downey Jr 'blacks up' for new film
Last updated at 17:38pm on 7th March 2008

Comments Comments (12)
Actor Robert Downey Jr has in the past been applauded for his edgy roles.

But his latest may be a step too far - as the actor dons make-up to play a rather convincing looking black man in a new Hollywood film starring comic actor Ben Stiller.

In a still from film Tropic Thunder, Downey Jnr is sandwiched between Ben Stiller, and a blonde Jack Black.

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Controversial: Actor Robert Downey Jr is virtually unrecognisble seen here sandwiched between actors Jack Black, left, and Ben Stiller, in an image from new film Tropic Thunder in which he wore a wig and make-up to look like a black man

With his afro hair and brown skin, he is virtually unrecognisable as the 42-year-old star of stage and screen.

Downey Jr plays a worthy Oscar-winning actor taking on a role originally written for a black actor, and rather than re-write the part, he goes method.

Clearing anticipating a backlash, Downey Jr told a US magazine: "If it's done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago. If you don't do it right, we're going to hell."

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Unrecognisable: Downey, pictured left and right's astonishing transformation was in aid of his role in a war satire directed by comic actor Ben Stiller. He said 'if you don't do it right, we're going to hell'

But the backlash has clearly begun as one comment on a showbiz blog Just Jared said: "I'm not black and I find it offensive; are there not any talented enough black actors out in the world that they feel the need to hire a white guy to do a black guy?"

"They are infering that there are no good enough black actors to play a black person.

"What is the significance of hiring a white guy to play a black part? what are they trying to prove? I bet its to get more publicity."

But in support of Downey's satirical role another comment on the blog said: "I'm black too, and if they were satirising black people yes it would be offensive. but they're not.

"It's FUNNY because they're NOT legitimising negative racial stereotypes, anyone with a brain in his/her head can see how painfully clear that is."

The film centres on a group of pompous actors making the most expensive Vietnam war movie ever made.

Fed up with their self-involved cast, the film's makers drop them into the jungle to take care of themselves, where they get caught up in a conflict they don't realise is real.

The cast also includes Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte and cameos from Tom Cruise and Tobey Maguire.

Stiller said he was "trying to push it as far as you can within reality," with the intent of satirising over-the-top actors, not African-Americans.

"I had no idea how people would respond to it," Stiller told the magazine. But at a recent screening, black viewers liked the film", he said.

The film, Stiller's first as director since Zoolander, also sees his character adopt an Asian baby but worries "that all the good ones have gone".

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/03_01/StillerVietL_468x607.jpg

[Fillmoe]

why? cuz he gets arrested at least 5 times a year?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Few things piss me off more than Hollywood dressing up white people as other colors. ROFL at this movie though, Ben Stiller looks exactly 16% serious in that pic.

[mrsmaalox]

I love Robert Downey Jr no matter what color he is.

[midgetonadonkey]

They should have put him in old school black face. That would've been funnier.

[mrsmaalox]

They should have put him in old school black face. That would've been funnier.
:lmao that would be PERFECT!!!

[CuckingFunt]

Downey Jr plays a worthy Oscar-winning actor taking on a role originally written for a black actor, and rather than re-write the part, he goes method.
Sounds like the only people it's making fun of are pompous actors.

[monosylab1k]

White guy-turned-black makeup has come a long way since Soul Man.

[T Park]

Wow that looks nothing like him.

If anything the makeup artist should win an award.

[Mel Brooks]

Have you gone berserk?!?! Can't you see that Robert Downey Jr. is a ni-!

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I see, so when a white dude plays a black man there's outrage, but when a pair of black dudes play the role of white chicks nobody says shit?... Seriously, people are incredibly fucking uptight these days.

[Spurminator]

But the backlash has clearly begun as one comment on a showbiz blog Just Jared said: "I'm not black and I find it offensive; are there not any talented enough black actors out in the world that they feel the need to hire a white guy to do a black guy?"

"They are infering that there are no good enough black actors to play a black person.

"What is the significance of hiring a white guy to play a black part? what are they trying to prove? I bet its to get more publicity."


:wtf

Why even print that comment in this article? This person doesn't even know what the movie is about.

[Trainwreck2100]

X-LM7DFPKFc

[BonnerDynasty]

I see, so when a white dude plays a black man there's outrage, but when a pair of black dudes play the role of white chicks nobody says shit?... Seriously, people are incredibly fucking uptight these days.

I don't think anyone ever saw that movie :lol :lol :lol

[ChuckD]

Downey. Check. Nolte. Check. Cruise. Check. I guess they opened all of Hollywood's rehabs and nut houses for this film.

[ChumpDumper]

"They are infering that there are no good enough black actors to play a black person."Actually, if anything they implied it, and I infer that the writer has no idea how to use the word infer.

[T Park]

I see, so when a white dude plays a black man there's outrage, but when a pair of black dudes play the role of white chicks nobody says shit?... Seriously, people are incredibly fucking uptight these days.


Welcome to the great reverse racism hypocrisy that is America.

[BigZak]

looks like a must see!

i got robert's back, even if it's black!

[ChumpDumper]

:lol The whole purpose of White Chicks was having two black characters made up to appear as....white chicks. That movie is more like Soul Man than this Stiller flick. This is more like Miss Saigon when Englishman Jonathan Pryce had extensive eye makeup to appear Asian. I can't really think of a movie that had a black man made up as a white man specifically to play a part originally written for a white man. I suppose they exist. It does raise interesting issues about what an artist can or should be allowed to do. I can see why Downey would do it; I'm surprised the studio green lit the choice.

[CuckingFunt]

Welcome to the great reverse racism hypocrisy that is America.There is no such thing as "reverse racism."

"Reverse racism" implies that there is a particular direction in which racism is right or natural, which simply isn't the case.

[CuckingFunt]

:lol The whole purpose of White Chicks was having two black characters made up to appear as....white chicks. That movie is more like Soul Man than this Stiller flick. This is more like Miss Saigon when Englishman Jonathan Pryce had extensive eye makeup to appear Asian. I can't really think of a movie that had a black man made up as a white man specifically to play a part originally written for a white man. I suppose they exist. It does raise interesting issues about what an artist can or should be allowed to do. I can see why Downey would do it; I'm surprised the studio green lit the choice.It's my understanding that Downey isn't playing a black character, but is specifically playing a white actor playing a black character.

[BigZak]

just call it a double standard tpark!

[BigZak]

downey looks blacker than obama, so i don't see what the problem is...

[ChumpDumper]

It's my understanding that Downey isn't playing a black character, but is specifically playing a white actor playing a black character.Oh, so it is the same thing as White Chicks. Completely understandable then. Maybe more like Tootsie in this case.

Should be fun.

Don't see any big deal.

[CuckingFunt]

Oh, so it is the same thing as White Chicks. Completely understandable then.

Should be fun.

Don't see any big deal.Me neither. I think the outrage is pretty ridiculous considering that the only other way you could cast the part would be to have a black actor in "whiteface" for part of the film. Or cast two actors.

Much ado about nothing.

[T Park]

Oh, so it is the same thing as White Chicks. Completely understandable then. Maybe more like Tootsie in this case.

Should be fun.

Don't see any big deal.


Wasn't Tootsie a white guy playing a white woman?

[Spurminator]

I don't really think there IS much outrage, if those message board posts are the best they could do.

[CuckingFunt]

Wasn't Tootsie a white guy playing a white woman?Seriously?

The comparison is pretty spot-on, actually.

[Spurminator]

Seriously?

The comparison is pretty spot-on, actually.


I hope the music is better.

[ChumpDumper]

Wasn't Tootsie a white guy playing a white woman?Right, I was kind of going along with the actors playing actors changing for a role angle.

It's funny that the two black-men-playing-white-folk movies I can think of had more to do with crime -- White Chicks and True Idendity -- while the white-to-black movies had more to do with the white guys furthering their careers.

[BigZak]

as long as it's funny, i don't give a fuck who's playin who...looks like it has potential!

[Cant_Be_Faded]

:lol The whole purpose of White Chicks was having two black characters made up to appear as....white chicks. That movie is more like Soul Man than this Stiller flick. This is more like Miss Saigon when Englishman Jonathan Pryce had extensive eye makeup to appear Asian. I can't really think of a movie that had a black man made up as a white man specifically to play a part originally written for a white man. I suppose they exist. It does raise interesting issues about what an artist can or should be allowed to do. I can see why Downey would do it; I'm surprised the studio green lit the choice.


Or how bout the overtly blatantly racist appearance of Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, with thick glasses, buck teeth, trying to be asian.

[BonnerDynasty]

http://i28.tinypic.com/242x0f5.jpg
I knew he looked familiar



Leon ftmfw!

[CuckingFunt]

Or how bout the overtly blatantly racist appearance of Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, with thick glasses, buck teeth, trying to be asian.Or Charlton Heston playing a Mexican in Touch of Evil.

Or Sean Penn playing someone with a mental disability in I Am Sam.

Or Hank Azaria and Robin Williams playing flamboyantly gay in The Birdcage.

[ChumpDumper]

Or how bout the overtly blatantly racist appearance of Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, with thick glasses, buck teeth, trying to be asian.Right. Charlie Chan was a stereotypical character that was always played by a white dude, but I guess back then people didn't know exactly how cringeworthy that stuff would be today.

http://kenfran.tripod.com/orson05a.jpg

Now had Downey played that role a few years back instead of Larry Fishburne, I could understand the controversy -- but I still wouldn't have any hard and fast answers as to what would be artistically acceptable.

[BonnerDynasty]

http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/Headline_Archives/irobot-glance.jpg


He's taking our jobs too!

[BigZak]

best black guy as a white guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUY-OtbBKt8&feature=related

[Trainwreck2100]

"I'm a lead farmer mother fucker"

[Brutalis]

What they couldn't find a black dude to act white?

[Trainwreck2100]

What they couldn't find a black dude to act white?

Tiger Woods needs to rehab his knee

[Trainwreck2100]

also San Antonio is mentioned in this movie, go us

[ChumpDumper]

What they couldn't find a black dude to act white?Lenny Henry didn't want to repeat himself.

[Mark in Austin]

It never ceases to amaze me how so many people keep a supply of self-righteous indignation on tap to be brought out for knee-jerk responses to issues.

[lefty]

At first, I thought it was Don Cheadle

[Taco]

i heard he took something that actually darkened his skin. Can you say Soul Man http://www.reappropriate.com/content/soulman.jpg :lol

[gatoloco]

It never ceases to amaze me how so many people keep a supply of self-righteous indignation on tap to be brought out for knee-jerk responses to issues.


yup. makes it interesting though.

[Kamala]

Black men wearing makeup is ridiculous!

[Kriz-Maxima]

The people who complain are idiots, the people who made those comments don't even know what the movie is about. How can you comment on something you don't know?

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

How can you comment on something you don't know?

You just say it loud enough, and call anyone who disagrees with you an idiot. The really hard part is deciding whether you want to work for CNN, Fox, or ESPN.