Fury over Black Hermione Granger

[Maxperson]

JK Rowling herself is the one who cast Emma Watson is Hermione, saying she was perfect for the role. While she may not have written white and while she likes a black Hermione, she had the vision that in the books Hermione was white.

I don't have problems with adaptions, but an adaption is not the thing. It's a change into something else that is similar, but not what it was that you adapted from.

This is why despite the name, The LotR and Hobbit movies were not really LotR or the Hobbit, but rather just fantasy movies with the LotR and Hobbit names. I would watch and enjoy a "Harry Potter" play with a black Hermione, but it wouldn't really be Harry Potter.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

JK Rowling herself is the one who cast Emma Watson is Hermione, saying she was perfect for the role. While she may not have written white and while she likes a black Hermione, she had the vision that in the books Hermione was white.

Unless, of course, she was prioritizing "best actress for the role" over other considerations when she cast Emma Watson.

 

[Umbran]

JK Rowling herself is the one who cast Emma Watson is Hermione, saying she was perfect for the role. While she may not have written white and while she likes a black Hermione, she had the vision that in the books Hermione was white.

That does not follow. The actresses perfection will be based on the criteria Rowling *cared* about. If she didn't care what color Hermione was then Watson's casting doesn't speak to the image she had in mind.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

There is also the possibility that no one of color tried for the role.

 

[cmad1977]

This is an issue? What year is it?

 

[Janx]

There is also the possibility that no one of color tried for the role.

that too is possible. Or that the casting call had a filter on, independent of what JK rowling was presented with. So rowling only got to see white girls.

Or nobody thought of all this way back when the books were being written and casting was happening and white was what you cast until you asked for black. Beats me I don't work in hollywierd.

 

[Bedrockgames]

JK Rowling herself is the one who cast Emma Watson is Hermione, saying she was perfect for the role. While she may not have written white and while she likes a black Hermione, she had the vision that in the books Hermione was white.

I don't have problems with adaptions, but an adaption is not the thing. It's a change into something else that is similar, but not what it was that you adapted from.

This is why despite the name, The LotR and Hobbit movies were not really LotR or the Hobbit, but rather just fantasy movies with the LotR and Hobbit names. I would watch and enjoy a "Harry Potter" play with a black Hermione, but it wouldn't really be Harry Potter.

Unless it is stated in the text itself that she is white, then I don't why we have to assume she had a vision of Hermione as white. I mean JK Rowling could have chosen Emma Watson for a host of reasons that have nothing to do with her skin tone (and it is entirely possible skin tone wasn't even a consideration on Rowling's mind).

 

[Bedrockgames]

Would it be a factor of change-concern if this was a movie intended to be "year 8" of the Harry Potter series, and they just swapped in a black actress?

Or if 10 years from now, they do the remakes of the HP series, and recast it to better match the UK's demographic?

Or if this is somewhat separated new HP story, from a different studio, who wants to do their own interpretation (which is kind of what this play is)?

Personally, I think I can roll with it. obviously, I'll have my silly "hey that's not how I think it should work" moment like we have here, but I'd probably go see it, and if it's decently done, be happy with it.

Obviously when you are continuing a series, and going from like part 6 to 7, you want the same actor or actress if possible, or someone who resembles that person. But if its the kind of thing where a reset has been hit (like in the James Bond movies where new actors step in all the time) or a show or film that has been remade a bunch of time, sometimes it can be a lot more interesting to play with expectations.

Personally I don't care what color the person who plays Hermione is. It isn't like her character suddenly becomes implausible because she is black.

 

[Maxperson]

Unless it is stated in the text itself that she is white, then I don't why we have to assume she had a vision of Hermione as white. I mean JK Rowling could have chosen Emma Watson for a host of reasons that have nothing to do with her skin tone (and it is entirely possible skin tone wasn't even a consideration on Rowling's mind).

If someone is perfect for for a role and you change one single thing, then that person is no longer perfect for that role. Perfection is like that.

In any case, it really doesn't matter to me whether Hermione is black or white in the play, the play will likely change the story enough to not be Harry Potter other than the name and basic story.

 

[Bedrockgames]

If someone is perfect for for a role and you change one single thing, then that person is no longer perfect for that role. Perfection is like that.

In any case, it really doesn't matter to me whether Hermione is black or white in the play, the play will likely change the story enough to not be Harry Potter other than the name and basic story.

That makes very little sense. An overly literal interpretation of perfect. By that logic, unless the next actor is a clone of the first, no one can replace them. Certainly the first actor creates an imprint that people weigh when a person follows in their footsteps. That doesn't mean a black actor can't play the role if a white person played it first (or that they are any less perfect for the role). When we say "perfect for the role" we are talking about the essential not the accidental qualities they bring to the character. Emma Watson's whiteness has no real impact on the character, it isn't an essential ingredient as far as I can tell. If it were important to her character for some reason, then I could see your point. But as far as I can see there isn't anything about her being white that is important.