Casting Agent for The Hobbit Fired!

Casting Agent for The Hobbit Fired!

After being told her skin color was "not right" for The Shire by way of Middle Earth, a British Pakistani woman is having the last laugh!

News
By selinakyle - Dec 01, 2010 08:12 AM EST
Filed Under: Fantasy
Source: Jezebel

While trying to get a role as an extra on Peter Jackson's upcoming The Hobbit , Naz Humphreys was told her skin color would be a problem.


According to the casting agent, "We are looking for light-skinned people. I'm not trying to be... whatever. It's just the brief. You've got to look like a hobbit."

Media outlets picked up the story and ran with it. Any press is good press right? Not for this agent who has reportedly been fired for his comment.

A spokesman for WingNut Films, the production company owned by The Hobbit director Sir Peter Jackson, said that no such instructions had been given to the casting company and described it as an unfortunate error.

"The crew member in question has been dismissed from the show," he said. "It's something we take very seriously."

Says Humphreys of the rejection, "The casting manager basically said they weren't having anybody who wasn't pale-skinned," Ms Humphreys, a social policy researcher, told The Waikato Times.

"It's 2010 and I still can't believe I'm being discriminated against because I have brown skin."

Look...its middle earth yeah? The shire? I'm sure Google earth can find it for me Right?
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chasesuperremey
chasesuperremey - 12/1/2010, 8:52 AM
shit happens
selinakyle
selinakyle - 12/1/2010, 8:52 AM
you should audition Stubby
Bigbywolf
Bigbywolf - 12/1/2010, 8:56 AM
That's a shame. I'd love to see a black hobbit rapping in the backround. It might make it into a good film.
selinakyle
selinakyle - 12/1/2010, 8:56 AM
They should have hired this clown for the last air bender movie. At least the casting would have been accurate! Dont know how much that would have helped to reduce the overall suck factor of the movie itself though.
Akercocke
Akercocke - 12/1/2010, 8:58 AM
That's ridiculous I mean, if a white guy goes to Bollywood and makes a casting for "The Ramayana movie" his skin color will definitely not be the right one either, and I can bet he won't complain about being discriminated.
ManThing
ManThing - 12/1/2010, 8:58 AM
huh. Personally I think it's pretty stupid that they fired him. Annnd it's pretty stupid that this lady has to blame it on race. But that's common these days. That's the norm. "the race card" and all such jazz

However I can't think of any reason why a hobbit couldn't have dark skin. Why on earth would that be?
DTLSinger
DTLSinger - 12/1/2010, 8:59 AM
are you serious????? shes bitching because the casting director said she wouldn't fit as a Hobbit with her type of skin... that's stupid. get over yourself. its called typecasting and it happens in EVERY movie. they specifically ask for types of people to play roles or be extras. i have plenty of casting agencies on my Facebook (i worked on Vampire Diaries as an extra) and they have a vision of what they shots look like and if your not picked suck it up and move on. Do you expect to see a black guy in a scene wearing a white robe screaming white power. I don't think so.
SpideyDude
SpideyDude - 12/1/2010, 9:01 AM
i do too - how do i audition?
pucrepeap
pucrepeap - 12/1/2010, 9:04 AM
Uhhh, the guy isn't racist, he's just doing his job. Hobbits have been established as white in the first set of movies, and the Shire only shrinks the ethnic diversity down even more.
smallvillefanricky
smallvillefanricky - 12/1/2010, 9:05 AM
thats [frick]ing stupid tbh,he shouldnt of been fired for doing that,he is right though,could you imagine loads of light skinned hobbits,then in the background a pakistani woman,it just wouldnt look right in the most none racist way possible
JaySchluffy
JaySchluffy - 12/1/2010, 9:05 AM
Jesus, next it will be a the casting agent for james bond fired because a woman applied to play Bond....
Shaman
Shaman - 12/1/2010, 9:08 AM
Akercocke & DTLSinger- I highly agree. Acting is a job where your physical appearance DOES play a significance. If Tolkien didn't have any colored hobbits in his books, then none should be hired to appease racist extremists. I take it they aren't hiring anyone with gigantism to play hobbits either. Oh the [frick]ing humanity. With all these racist extremists and their idiocy, soon studios will hire women to play men and seniors to play minors.
tocap
tocap - 12/1/2010, 9:11 AM
no matter what color she is, she's a bitch! i bet she got there on purpose expecting to be told this and sell the story. i hope you read this stupid!
SHHH
SHHH - 12/1/2010, 9:12 AM
Tom Cruise was The Last Samurai
Brad Pitt was in The Mexican... Some people/studios are more comfortable with all White Cast... What can you do??
Shaman
Shaman - 12/1/2010, 9:18 AM
SHHH- Did Tom play an actual japanese man? Did Brad play an actual latino? If so then YES, THAT is WRONG in my book. But if they were supposed to be caucasian roles then there were no problems with the casting there.
Ethic
Ethic - 12/1/2010, 9:18 AM
Yea that's just idiotic.
It wasn't a racially motivated judgement it was simply a casting director trying apply what he knows of the franchise to this films casting.

Hate when the media makes a fuss of this kind of thing.

@ Akercocke
I couldn't agree with you more!!
It's so true, Bollywood is an entire film business revolving around race, it's the main focus of that film industry.
And big baaad Hollywood has to deal with this?
Psssh
Spock
Spock - 12/1/2010, 9:21 AM
Well its movies this has been a traditional with minority characters. Hell even Bruce Lee was pushed away from Hollywood. He was way ahead of his time for an Asian American!!
selinakyle
selinakyle - 12/1/2010, 9:22 AM
where did my comment go? *confused*

Casting call for The Hobbit

The advertisements listed the requirements for potential hobbits, including age (16-80), height - below 5ft 7in (1.7m) for men and 5ft 2in for women - and the requirement that women should have light skin.

Why is light skin a requirement for only the women? (FAIL!)

Prologue to Lord of the Rings.

Before the crossing of the mountains the Hobbits had already become divided into three somewhat different breeds: Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides. The Harfoots were browner of skin, smaller, and shorter, and they were beardless and bootless; their hands and feet were neat and nimble... The Stoors were broader, heavier in build... The Fallohides were fairer of skin and also of hair, and they were taller and slimmer than the others...

Browner!!!
SHHH
SHHH - 12/1/2010, 9:22 AM
@Shaman:) It was a Joke... This New's is ridiculous to me.. There r 3 side's to every story.. My Side Your Side and The Truth...

@SuspenseSmith: Everybody get's offended easy.... Don't care what color you are...

LEEE777
LEEE777 - 12/1/2010, 9:27 AM
Theres a lot of firing going on lol?

Wheres the Walking Dead one gone?

Damn Hollywood lol, fire the writers at CW for SMALLVILLE! : P
THEPHOENIX
THEPHOENIX - 12/1/2010, 9:28 AM
This is stupid.
@Shaman. No, both of them were playing white men. One was a US soldier in Japan, the other was a dumb ass in Mexico
SHHH
SHHH - 12/1/2010, 9:30 AM
THEPHONEIX sum's it up... Stupid.....

@Selina Kyle: THank You.... End of Debate....
nuck82
nuck82 - 12/1/2010, 9:32 AM
this things just bad news bears!!!!
Maculis
Maculis - 12/1/2010, 9:35 AM
I say, who cares. the casting director is probably right. And he probably is taking the fall after being told what to look for. But he's gonna know, in this day and age, you have to be careful what you say.
selinakyle
selinakyle - 12/1/2010, 9:35 AM
SHH...im having a hard time trying to figure out what your stance is because you have edited your comments on this article several times now. Which is it? The complaining woman and the article are both stupid and this is a non-issue? Or the casting agent committed a grave foul?
Spock
Spock - 12/1/2010, 9:37 AM
U know as a minority, history show that we get the very short end of the stick! But there is has been lots of progress made. This lady did apply & maybe she did feel like she was being discrimanated, maybe she should of did some research on movie 1st before tried to be an extra. Hell they could of covered her up, spray paint & all.
SHHH
SHHH - 12/1/2010, 9:37 AM
I wasn't finished and computer is a piece of crap....
WaylonJones
WaylonJones - 12/1/2010, 9:38 AM
Booo the only flip flopin I like is well.....you know.....EPIC BOOBS ;)
xmentheeight
xmentheeight - 12/1/2010, 9:38 AM
Wow....some people just dont get it or want to get it. Was it a racist move?!...probably not...is the race card too often used at times when it doesnt apply?!...yes it happens ad nauseum, but U gotta be smarter than that and just tell her she doesnt meet what U are looking for in terms of casting. Could there be Black hobbits?...why not?! Do I need there to be Black hobbits?!....No, I dont.
selinakyle
selinakyle - 12/1/2010, 9:40 AM
You cant stalk me into dating you Gusto!

You gotta finish your statement WayWay!Lol
xmentheeight
xmentheeight - 12/1/2010, 9:42 AM
@Selina- Good post. Llike SHHH said...discussion over.
WaylonJones
WaylonJones - 12/1/2010, 9:43 AM
yeah gusto its not the 40's any more if you stalk girls they wont just say ok and give you a chance. Road House!
SHHH
SHHH - 12/1/2010, 9:45 AM
Like anyone cares what my stance is ??? A Hobbit movie I will never watch...
Bigbywolf
Bigbywolf - 12/1/2010, 9:47 AM
I disagree with nearly everyone. Everybody knows you need a least one token black person in a film.

xmentheeight
xmentheeight - 12/1/2010, 9:48 AM
@Selina- Good post. Llike SHHH said...discussion over.
SHHH
SHHH - 12/1/2010, 9:48 AM
selinakyle
selinakyle - 12/1/2010, 9:51 AM
I knew posting this, the comments section would more than likely degenerate into out-of-ass comments about race and minorities...instead of i dunno..thought out responses. CBM never disappoints. The prologue says it all! The agent should have been fired.The real problem here is the agent was used as a scape goat. He didn't pull that statement out of thin air. Those instructions came from somewhere and he was following orders. Lets see how this will reflect on the overall casting of the movie!
Mordor is displeased!

SpideyDude
SpideyDude - 12/1/2010, 9:51 AM
i do too - how do i audition?
shroud
shroud - 12/1/2010, 9:52 AM
Is it just me that find some of the comments from these people offensive ? The woman was discreminated plain and effing simple . Some idiot talking about race card wtf shut the hell up untill u walk in the hoes of someone shut the eff up. People of color do find it difficult to get roles it seems even as a walk on is difficult .
selinakyle
selinakyle - 12/1/2010, 9:55 AM
Gusto thinks this is the land before time where he can club a girl on her head and drag her to his cave. lol
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