Recently, paparazzi pictures of actress Renee Zellweger surfaced online where she can be seen wearing a plump-suit on the sets of her upcoming show The Thing About Palm. In the photos, Renee is seen shooting a scene in the character of convicted murderer Pam Hoop. The actress also wore a prosthetic nose to see this part. Since the pictures have come down, netizens have expressed their displeasure over the decision. She’s made sure that the fat-suits keep the fat-fearing, and a plus-size actress could easily play the role.
Taking a cue from this latest development, let’s look at the times when actors chose to change their physical appearance for roles and resented people for maintaining fat-fear, racism or incompetence.
Sarah Paulson
The latest example of an actor who was criticized for wearing a thick-suit is actress Sarah Paulson. Sarah appeared in Impeachment: American Crime Story, released last month, in which she played Linda Tripp. Sara wore a fat suit to look like a former civil servant. This did not go down well with the audience, who said the decision perpetuated the fat-fear. The actress then apologized during an interview, saying, “It is very difficult for me to talk about this without realizing that I am making excuses. There is a lot of controversy about actors and thick suits, and I think The controversy is legitimate. I think fat phobia is real. I think pretending otherwise does more harm.”
Zoe Saldana
Actress Zoe Saldana may have had a brilliant screenplay sense to be a part of several blockbuster films, however, her decision to play the legendary singer and poet Nina Simone backfired. In Nina, Zoe wore black-faced, a full body suit, a prosthetic nose, and false teeth. Zoe, a light-skinned woman of Puerto Rican, Haitian, and Dominican descent, was accused of mocking the facial features of a dark black woman. Zoe later apologized, saying that she should have used her advantage to find an actress better suited to play the role.
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Cranston courted controversy after playing a paraplegic in The Upside, which also starred Kevin Hart. However, he further angered fans by saying that it was a ‘business decision’ to focus more on the disability. He also implied that he was aware that his casting would spark controversy. Cranston’s choice of words and casting received a great response, especially from a number of disabled actors and activists.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra’s casting in Mary Kom faced a lot of opposition as she was playing the role of a Manipuri boxing legend. Not only were Northeast Indians unhappy with the role of a non-Northeast actor, pictures of makeup artists making their eyes smaller with prosthetics also enraged fans. His casting was called racist, especially because of his use of prosthetics. While director Omung Kumar reiterated his decision, Chopra never took note of the issue.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson was heavily criticized for starring in Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell, which was based on a Japanese anime. The film called for cultural appropriation, using Asian aesthetics, storytelling, and locations while casting white actors. In addition, visual effects, prosthetics and makeup were used to create an ‘Asian look’ for Johansson. The actress didn’t apologize for the role, but said she didn’t feel like she played an offensive character. Director Rupert Sanders stuck to his decision in 2017, but Johansson was dragged into controversy again when he cast her to play a transgender man in Rub & Tug. The film was shelved after huge protests.
Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar
The casting of Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar as shooter Dadis Chandro and Prakashi Tomar in Saand Ki Aankh faced a lot of controversies. Young actresses played professional shooters in the late seventies. Pannu and Pednekar wore prosthetics to look older. Actress Neena Gupta criticized the casting, saying it was aging and took away opportunities from older actors. Many also echoed Gupta’s sentiments. Since then both the actresses have stuck to their castings during various interviews.
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