alot of gangster rappers use this film to diss Smith

Sorry, while I sympathize with your desire for solid cultural role models, I see zero proof of any supposed conspiracy by studios to "force" those actors to choose homosexual roles, much less for the sinister purpose of sabotaging the aspirations of urban adolescents. Similarly, Cuba Gooding has blamed others for the direction that his career went in this past decade, jealously proclaiming the success of Will Smith to have been an unfair slight against Cuba Gooding's own personal potential. FACT is, when your agent shows you the pile of scripts available to you as an actor, a complex equation works: A) how desperate are you for a paycheck, B) how much do you personally like the role/script/filmmaking team, C) who else is competing for the same role, and D) are the other actors more or less of a marketing draw to help the investors make a profit.

As an actor, if you don't like the pile of scripts being offered you, you can fire your agent and find someone else to represent you. Hollywood is an industry of relationships and deal-making. A lesser-known black actor named Kevin Grevioux, went so far in his dissatisfaction that he wrote his OWN screenplay "Underworld" (2003) insisting that he get to act in it. While I question some of the scripts The Rock has chosen these past few years, the fact is each time the studios have offered a lot of money, and he's eagerly cashed in, happy to bring his family financial security. "Be Cool" was a project that D.Johnson eagerly embraced. The Rock's hosting stints on SNL showcase his love for effeminately lampooning his masculine WWE persona, while broadening his metrosexual appeal. His manager was partnered with Neil Moritz (producer of XXX and Stealth) - UhOh! Now you're going to say that "Stealth" is part of your conspiracy to harm Jamie Foxx after his Oscar? Not likely.

Hollywood's top actors are individually responsible for the choices they make, even when the consequences of their roles mismatch what they intended. Our world is a very complicated place - most people struggle in life, and blaming others every time we misstep is an all-too-convenient excuse to avoid learning from our mistakes and trying better next time.

What a whiney crock of garbage. I can give you a much longer list of white actors who have played gay while at any point of their careers. More importantly, it is not any form of degregation to play the roles. Check your own prejudice at the door before you shake your fist at society. I know many gay people who would gladly and easily kick your butt, if you are under some impression that gays are weak and fey. (No, this is not a threat.)

However, I will "diss" Will Smith for playing this role only because he was such a homophobe, he refused to provide the last scene of the movie, the kiss.

Please cite examples of these gangster rappers using this film to diss Smith.



Off-topic: I found this to be Will Smith's best work. His acting has only gone downhill from here (and yes, I'm including Ali whose real star was Jamie Foxx).

chokobot620, I don't understand what point you're trying to make. On one hand you say hip hop is ignorant for dissing black actors for playing gay roles, and on the other you say it's Hollywood's fault for putting (ostensibly straight) black actors in gay roles. You seem to be saying you are above such ignorance, and yet you insist that actors should kowtow to it. Which one is it? Actors play roles outside themselves, that is what acting's about. If anything, I think these actors playing gay roles would encourage tolerance -- I mean, the ignorance is already there, how would NOT playing gay roles reduce the ignorance?

"Why not hire real gay African Actors to play gay roles?"

First off, when casting a movie, producers are looking for actors that will draw people into the theater. What (openly) gay African-American actor has any kind of drawing power in this country? None. A big reason Will Smith got the role was exactly because it was such a controversial decision casting a straight, comedic TV actor in a dramatic gay role, and it brought the movie a lot of press. And the fact is that many gay actors, at least ones with prominent careers playing straight roles, want to stay as far as possible from gay roles lest they be outed.

Hire gay actors to play gay? Disabled actors for disabled roles? English actors for English roles? Irish for Irish? Ex cons for ex cons. I think you might be on to something.

I find it awful that Hollywood is making these actors sign on for movies their core community will object to. Bad Hollywood. Bad Hollywood.
It's a dirty job, but I pay clean money for it.

The Rock isn't Black he's Samoan/White.

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