‘That’s Queen Victoria?’
‘Yes.’ The director squinted into a camera eyepiece.
‘But she’s black.’
‘And?’
‘Queen Victoria was white.’
‘To you maybe.’
‘It’s not a matter of opinion.’
‘And what about Cleopatra?’
‘Sorry?’
‘Was she as white as an English rose? Was Jesus as pale as a Scot?’
‘What?’
‘Everyone living in Palestine and Egypt were baby pink?’
‘John …’
‘Shall we daub her with white makeup like a minstrel?’
‘We need to recast.’
‘It’s what she says and does that matters not her skin colour.’
‘That’s not …’
‘So, white folks can play black characters but not vice versa?’
A drabble is a story of exactly 100 words
Now this addresses some interesting and important questions, Rob. What, exactly, matters most when it comes to casting for any role? This is quite effective.
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