Critics “Thunder” Hate on Downey’s Oscar Nod!

In the funniest film of last year, Robert Downey, Jr. donned blackface to play an Australian actor masquerading as a brother in the Vietnam spoof, “Tropic Thunder.” Now that Downey has received an Oscar nomination for his performance, critics are saying that his portrayal was racist.
Don’t believe the hype, but look a little deeper and don’t let the critics worry you needlessly.
We have vivid memories of attending an early screening of this film and many of our colleagues giving us strange looks as if we laughed then it was comfortable for them do as well. Taking a wait-and-see attitude, what softened Downey’s portrayal considerably was the inclusion of African-American co-star Brandon T. Jackson who at every turn poked fun at the melanin-infused Aussie actor.
For the record, we totally agree with Ridley but in the grand scheme of things it won’t matter because we fully expect the late Heath Ledger to win for his final performance in “The Dark Knight.”
Hollywood screenwriter and talk show host, John Ridley examines this phenomenon and the “blacklash” that Downey is getting in his article entitled, “PC Whiners Aside, Downey Jr. Deserves His Oscar Nod.”
On the heels of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announcing the nominees for their 81st shindig, there were the usual nontroversies over who was named and who was ignored.
Among all that, Hollywood trade paper Variety noted that Robert Downey Jr.’s nod for Best Supporting Actor in Tropic Thunder “marks the first time since Laurence Olivier’s 1965 Othello that an actor has been nommed for playing a role in blackface.”
Not quite true. Forrest Whitaker darkened his skin to play Idi Amin for his Oscar winning performance in The Last King of Scotland.
Slightly different circumstances, yes. But…
What Variety alludes to in their piece is that the Downey Jr. role is offensive. Mincing no words, Scott Feinberg over at the LA Times just comes out and says as much. Apparently bucking for a nomination for Best Performance by a White Guy Who Takes it Upon Himself to be Offended For Black People, Feinberg writes:
“I guess I just can’t imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable.”
To read the rest of Ridley’s piece, click here.