Actress Jessica Alba, who appeared in a pair of much derided comic book movies more than a decade ago, says Marvel’s cinematic superhero films are still too white.
Alba starred as Sue Storm in two movies based on Marvel’s Fantastic Four comics. Though neither were well received and both came before the modern, more successful Marvel era, Alba says that she felt that superhero movies were too white back in 2005. And she also feels things haven’t gotten much better in more than 15 years. Her paternal grandparents were children of Mexican immigrants.
Variety noted that the whole genera is “too Caucasian.”
“Even if you look at the Marvel movies – that’s the biggest driver of fantasy and what’s happening right now in entertainment, because it’s sort of the family thing – it’s still quite Caucasian,” she said. “I would say I was one of the few back in the day… And it was before Marvel was sold to Disney, but it’s still quite more of the same.”
Variety added that Marvel has tried to diversify its universe of films. They introduced a black hero with actor Anthony Mackie taking over as Captain America, they’ve pushed out female superheroes such as Brie Larson’s Capt. Marvel, not to mention adding the Black Panther universe to its offerings. They have also introduced several LGBTQ characters across films and streaming TV.
But Alba says it hasn’t been enough.
“I just think more for the younger people who are coming up, who are going to be our future leaders, it’s important for them to see the world on screen, or in stories, in the dreams that we create as entertainers; it reflects the world that they’re in,” she exclaimed.
Alba’s tongue lashing comes on the heels of years of studies, initiatives, and policies in Hollywood attempting to woke its entertainment products.
In 2015, for instance, a review of the studios found that 94 percent of top executives were white.
Other studies were showing that Hollywood was hopelessly “whitewashed” giving minorities few roles.
Even as late as 2020, news reports were claiming that Hollywood’s diversity policies were “failing.”
In the last few years, Hollywood has made a major push on diversity, requiring writers rooms, casts, and producers to be made up of half minority employees.
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