This summer, three of the most prestigious acting companies produced King

Richard, and each took different approaches in casting the lead character of

Richard. Richard, who has been traditionally played by white men, is being

played by two actors with disabilities and a Black woman.

Following the discovery of Richard’s remains in a British parking lot a decade

ago which showed that he had a disability as well as a cultural movement

and rethinking about a person’s identity, gender, and representation, acting

companies and movie production studies are taking a shift towards

accurately casting actors within their own identity.

Centuries ago, white actors portrayed Black characters using blackface, such

as the character of Othello. In more recent times, actors have faced backlash

for portraying characters that are gay, transgender, or of different religions or

ethnicities than them. Most notably was Tom Hanks’s portrayal of a gay

attorney dying of AIDS in the film Philadelphia, which he also won an

Academey award for. Bradley Cooper is currently facing backlash for

portraying a Jewish character by wearing a prosthetic nose.

However, some claim that actors should be given the freedom to portray

characters that they do not share the same identities with. “The essential

nature of art is freedom. Once we impose any kind of control over it, it’s no

longer free.” said Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham, who also portrayed

a Jewish character while not being Jewish.