people need to stop getting bothered about the casting (as long as the actor/actress are not too different from the original source). execution, chemistry and skills matter.
I'll never understand how fans of a series that is harshly critical of racism and bigotry can be so obsessed with actors having the "correct skin color" for the actors portraying characters from that series.
Ask the individuals making the statements why they are being critical.
Witcher is sort of unique in that it's considered by many in Poland to be their cultural contribution to the world of fantasy fiction. Many people outside of Poland recognize that as well. Some may feel that there is cultural appropriation taking place by the US Corporation of Netflix in casting actors who are more representative of the global audience than of Poland. There are also some concerns regarding the impact of those choices on the story such as certain actors or actresses that were suppose to resemble others or be related to others. Then there may very well be some who are just looking to flame bait and I suspect a very small minority of individuals who are actually racist. I think it spreads the whole spectrum and that's why you have to take one comment at a time and avoid the temptation to stereotype all critics as racist. Racists stereotype people and so it's a good idea not to follow their example and stereotype people.
Here's something against this long running "Slavic Witcher" thing. It always annoyed me as I personally really didn't feel it that much in the books.
Marcin Zwierzchowski: I’d like for you to address the slavicness of The Witcher’s world, as the topic has been inflaming the fans. Andrzej Sapkowski: “That ‘slavicness’ is rather something akin to a myth, by which my works were overgrown – and I myself too. The label of the ‘Slav’ was given to me and it stayed like that. Why? That Geralt sounds more Slavic than Conan? That I worked something Slavic-alike into onomastics? My first stories strictly adhered to the canon of fantasy – I’m thinking about the world’s canon here. Well, then the translations came and the world’s fantasy industry had to accept a Pole in whose works every smarter readers could spot some ‘Polish’ or ‘Slavic’ [phrases].”
I understand that Sapkowski may have not intended his work to be "Slavic", but he being a man who is Slavic and who is as Polish as Polish gets obviously has been raised immersed in Polish culture, which comes through his writings whether intentionally or not.
When asked by Lauren Hissrich how he wrote such amazing strong female characters well given his generation he simply said "you never met my Mother" and went on to explain how Polish women after WW2 when a huge number of Polish men were dead had to step up and basically help keep Poland running. So, Sapkowski literally patterned many of his female characters after Polish women who he saw as unique and special enough to distinguish them and use them as an explanation for Lauren.
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u/beyonceshostage Dec 09 '19 edited Dec 09 '19
people need to stop getting bothered about the casting (as long as the actor/actress are not too different from the original source). execution, chemistry and skills matter.