Race row as actor Robert Downey Jr blacks up for new film | the Daily Mail
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.
Puh-leez! I guess nobody’s seen “White Chicks” with Shawn and Marlon Wayans.
Flashcube 
dude, it goes back much further than that. i can’t recall the name of the film at the moment, but there was at LEAST one more in the 80’s about a black dude pretending to be white to hide from some bad guys. and i think there’s another one where the guy pretends to be white to get a job at a tv station, though that might be the same one.
The 80’s movie evilmister is talking about is “true identity” starring Lenny Henry.
The diference between White chicks\True Identity and this movie, is that in THE PLOT of WC\TI a black charecter descuises as a white person, in this movie RDJr is playing a Black charecter.
The race argument is that casting a white actor to play a black carecter implies is somehow strealing a job from a black actor.
Which raises the question, should able bodies actors be able to play disabled charecters.
Personally I don’t give a shit (on either count), but it isn’t the same issue as “White chicks” – the isuue with “white chicks” is that it was rasist in it’s own right – would a cop movie staring, say, Ben Stiller and Will Ferrell, as 2 cops who have to infiltrate a prodominantly black girls school under heavy makup be allowed? How about if we called it “Black Chicks”?
thanks! but also, let’s not forget soul man, in which c. thomas howell dresses up like a black man to get a college education. again , either way, i don’t care … we’ve become far too uptight. next thing we’ll be bitching adam sandler dressing up as an old dude in click because we could’ve found an old actor that looks enough like him to do the role instead of all that makeup. or that we’re using CGI too often, preventing people from getting roles where they dress up in rubber suits. or, if it’s more a race issue, we could always discuss spike lee’s movies. unless a film is intentionally crafted to highlight racial disparity we should all just decide to either see or not see the movie as what it is … a movie. besides, robert downey jr KICKS ASS.
whats all the hubbubub about. he isn’t even playing a black man, he’s playing a white man playing a black man. there is a huge difference.