TRENDING TAGS :
Black actors from Hollywood who played white characters
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Hollywood is always open to diversity but there’s no denying the fact that it still has long way to go. There are many hollywood black actors playing white roles on screen have been appreciated for their work.
In this post, we will mention some Black actors who played traditionally white characters.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
List of Hollywood Black Actors Playing White Roles on Screen
Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger :
She played Hermione Granger in the play Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. Although she is an accomplished actor, she faced backlash for her role. She took it sportingly and said “It stems from ignorance. They don’t want to be a part of the creative act. To say it’s not as it was intended is so unimaginative. I don’t think they understand how theater works. We’re here to heal you, make you smile and whisk you away.”
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Will Smith as Robert Nivelle :
Will Smith played Robert Nivelle in 2007 science horror film I am Legend. There had been many adaptation of Richard Matheson’s 1954 Novel by the same name but that was the first time a black actor played the lead role.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Morgan Freeman as Red:
The iconic actor played Red in the movie adaptation of Stephen King novel, The Shawshank Redemption. In the book Kind describes Red as white and Irish but in the movie, Freeman played the role so well that it got him an oscar nomination.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Denzel Washington as Bennett Marco:
Richard Condon’s 1959 novel The manchurian Candidate was made into the film by the same name in 1962 where Frank Sinatra played Bennett Matco. In 2004 remake, it was Denzel Washington who played the central character, Marco.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Quvenzhané Wallis as Annie :
Many actors have played Annie since 1982 but none of them were black. In 2014, Wallis played Black Annie for the first time and received golden Globe nomination for the same.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Brandy Norwood as Cinderella :
In 1997 ABC Musical Cinderella, it was the first time, Cinderella was played by a Black actor. In fact many Black actors played the role that was traditionally white. Whitney Houston playing Fairy Godmother is one example.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Will Smith as Agent J :
In the Aircel comics, both Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers were depicted as white. In 1997 Will Smith along with Tommy Lee Jones was roped in to play Agent J and Agent K respectively.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Pam Grier as Jackie Brown:
Jacky Brown is a blonde flight assistant in Elmore Leonard's book Rum Punch . However in the movie adaptation, it was Pam Grier, the black actor who played Jackie Brown in the movie Jackie Brown.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Will Smith as Jim West :
Robert Conrad played James T west in popular 1960s TV series Wild Wild West. In the smashit hit movie version, it was Will Smith who played Jim West.
[/nextpage]
[nextpage title="Next" ]
Naomie Harris as Moneypenny :
Lois Maxwell played Miss Moneypenny for good 23 years. Four other actress had been playing Maxwell for years and then came Naomie Harris, the first ever black to play the iconic role.
[/nextpage]
