Actor David Oyelowo has spent his career tackling harrowing stories of racism and those that overcame it – from Martin Luther King, Jr. in “Selma” to King Seretse Khama in “A United Kingdom.” Ironically, the film of his that has gotten the most ridiculous racist reaction is his most recent movie, “Come Away,” which has very little to do with racism as a subject.
“Come Away” stars David and Angelina Jolie as parents to Peter Pan and Alice (of Wonderland) and serves as a prequel of sorts to the more well-known fantasy adventures of both Peter & Alice. The thing that seems to have hoards of racists up in arms is the fact that both Peter and Alice happen to be Black – you know, as if fantasy characters were only allowed to be of a more pale complexion, even in 2020.
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Racists being racists, they decided to attack the movie the only way they knew how – with hate speech on IMDb. This is where it caught Oyelowo’s attention. In a recent interview with THR, he spoke frankly about the film and the reception it received, even before its release in November.
“In an era when there is so much content to take in, all it takes is looking at the rating on IMDb or on a trailer to subconsciously make a decision as to whether you are going to engage with that content or not,” he said. “This has been something I have experienced in my career, regularly, being a Black person who tends to gravitate toward aspirational content. It seems like these folks find that the most deplorable…One of the first things I did was to make IMDb aware of this because I know it had an effect on ‘A United Kingdom’ five years ago.”
What did the reviews say? In an interview with The Guardian, David said, “The comment I read that made me realize I had to call the IMDb website to make them aware that we were being subjected to these racist comments was: ‘Here we go again – Hollywood seeking to erase our whiteness.’”
Naturally, IMDb removed all reviews prior to release; however, as soon as the film was released and users were able to post their thoughts again, more negativity resurfaced – some even directly referencing the film’s “diversity” as an issue.
Oyelowo continued, “This is around a story that is fictional, fantasy, and a fairy tale… You just put your hands up and say OK, this is why people have a problem with John Boyega being a stormtrooper or with Halle Bailey being cast as the mermaid in ‘The Little Mermaid.’ This is why an all-female version of ‘Ghostbusters’ is a threat to certain men because it’s an encroachment on what they deem to be their territory…But I recognize the need to still talk about it because I am standing on the shoulders of others who were denied the chance. I’m jealous of my peers. Benedict Cumberbatch never has to talk about his race, neither does Tom Hardy.”
It’s a sad but certain truth that Oyelowo and other actors and actresses of a certain race or sex have had to deal with since day one. It’s an issue that has only been magnified by certain outlets, well-intentioned or not. When will the problem be over? Oyelowo doesn’t seem so sure, saying, “Look, the day I know I don’t have to talk about racism is the day I’ll know we have real progress.”
“Come Away” is available on VOD now.
