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In an interview published Wednesday, actor Jeffrey Wright, who starred in “The Batman,” criticized people who have complained about him portraying a character who was originally written as White.
Speaking to entertainment outlet Collider, Wright, who is Black, expressed frustration with social media users who objected to him portraying Batman police lieutenant Jim Gordon as a Black man.
“It’s just so f—— racist and stupid,” the actor declared.
Wright played Lt. Gordon in 2022’s “The Batman” alongside Robert Pattinson, who starred as the titular caped crusader. Though critics praised Wright’s portrayal, some online users complained that Gordon had been race-swapped.
Wright noted backlash faced by Black actors who play roles originally portrayed as White.
“I really find it fascinating the ways in which there’s such a conversation, and I think even more of a conversation now, about Black characters in these roles,” he said.
In the previous “Batman” film franchise starring Christian Bale, Gordon was played by British actor Gary Oldman.
Wright told the outlet he believes opposing a Black man playing the character is “blind.”
“It’s just so blind in a way that I find revealing to not recognize that the evolution of these films reflects the evolution of society, that somehow it’s defiling this franchise not to keep it grounded in the cultural reality of 1939, when the comic books were first published.”
“It’s just the dumbest thing. It’s absent all logic,” he added.
He added that a Black actor playing Gordon was perfectly in line with the diversity of New York City –– the inspiration for the comic’s Gotham City.
“What I love about our Batman is how gritty and granular and accessible it is. Ours is a Gotham that’s born out of ‘70s noir in terms of its cinematic aesthetic — ‘70s noir New York,” he said.
“Obviously, New York City is the template for Gotham, and if you look around New York City in the ‘70s, or if you look around New York City, of course, today, it’s a multicultural place,” Wright added.
The actor, who also starred in HBO’s “Westworld” series and appeared in the James Bond franchise alongside Daniel Craig, described his connection to the character.
“The thing is, as well, I feel that I own these stories as much as anyone. Perhaps now, because I’m a part of them, I have the most skin in the game.”
He added that he believes the two creators of the original Batman comic wouldn’t be opposed to his portrayal.
“Bob Kane and Bill Finger are two Jewish guys up in the Bronx, imagining heroes and villains in a city that looked like the city around them at the time, but I think what they imagined was open-ended,” he said. “I think that the success and the longevity of these stories and characters are owing to the openness of their imaginations and what they created.”
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