What Even Is This?

aziraphale and gabriel trying not to acknowledge each other’s existence or their respective partners while both looking up what a himbo is

Were you upset when Australian Adelaide Kane, played Mary Queen of Scots?  Or when Toby Regbo and Meghan Fellowes played French and Italian royals?

Or when Borgias and Medici Masters of Florence cast mostly Northern European actors to play Italians?

Or when The Spanish Princess cast Charlotte Hope as Catherine of Aragon, despite not being Spanish?

Or when Kristen Stewart, Lilly Collins, and Ginnifer Goodwin played Snow White, despite none of them being German?

Or when Margot Robbie, an Australian, played Queen Elizabeth?

Are you bothered by Alexander Ludwig and Amber Heard (reportedly) playing Hercules and Meg, even though they’re not Greek?

Or when Natalie Portman and Scarlet Johanssen played Anne and Mary Boleyn?

Or when Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, and Rene Russo all played gods from Norse mythology?  Not one of them is Scandinavian.

Or when Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig played Swedish characters in the Girl with The Dragon Tattoo? 

Big productions always cast white American and British actors to play characters and historical figures from all over the world, and no one says a thing, even if said actor has no connection to the culture and country they are portraying.

But the second a black actress is cast as a freaking mermaid, people say the role should be played by a Danish actress.

I am watching The Last Czars docuseries right now and none of the actors portraying key Russian figures are from Russia, and the Chernobyl miniseries didn’t have Ucranian/Bielorrusian/Russian actors.

Tom Holland is a British actor playing an iconic American superhero, and no one cares. Same for Benedict Cumberbatch. And last I checked Scarlett Johansson is not Russian.

But those casting decisions caused zero controversy.

Why is it OK for those shows and films to ignore the nationality of actual historical figures in their casting but changing the race of a MERMAID makes people think the role should go to someone Danish?

Would anyone have cared if they had casted Karen Gillian or Sophie Turner or any white actress that can pass as a redhead?

Answer is NO.

I am delighted that Ariel will be played by a person of color.

It fits the very non Hans Christian Andersen vibe the original animated movie went with. Danish fairy tales are grim and dark experiences that in no way are able to encompass something like “Under the sea” arguably the most tone setting bit of music from the movie.

Under the sea in Denmark would leave you with such interesting species as: Cod. Clams. And 3 feet of visibility under the best circumstances.

Actually embracing the Carribean location is the logical conclusion. And I would like to see how that plays out in regards to the above the sea culture.

1. Black Danish people exist

And