Mandela Film Casts Jennifer Hudson, South African Actors Object!
posted by Maggie's Nest at
12/08/2009 
Looks like Jennifer Hudson's Oscar award could not convinced South Africans for her big role in upcoming Nelson Mandela film.
The 28 year-old singer-actress is casted to play ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in a movie about the South African's first Black president. But South African actors object!
The Creative Workers Union of South Africa has expressed disagreement for the casting of the American actress because they believed that using foreign actors to tell the country's stories is undermining efforts to develop the national film industry.
In The Citizen newspaper, union's president Mabutho Sithole has said, "It can't happen that we want to develop our own Hollywood and yet bring in imports."
Union secretary general Oupa Lebogo has voiced out the same concern in The Times, saying "This decision must be reversed, it must be stopped now. If the matter doesn't come up for discussion, we will push for a moratorium to be placed on the film."
Jennifer Hudson, who has won the Oscar's best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls," is casted for the role of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela just last month. As the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, she has tirelessly called for his husband's release during his 27-year imprisonment but her image would later be tarnished from involvement in a series of scandals leading to her separation from him.
The objection to the casting choice comes just days before the opening of the film, "Invictus," which focuses on Nelson Mandela and the South Africa's 1995 rugby World Cup victory that united the nation. The film is directed by Clint Eastwood with South African film-maker Darrell J. Roodt. Morgan Freeman plays the role of Nelson Mandela while Matt Damon plays the rugby team captain.
The 28 year-old singer-actress is casted to play ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in a movie about the South African's first Black president. But South African actors object!
The Creative Workers Union of South Africa has expressed disagreement for the casting of the American actress because they believed that using foreign actors to tell the country's stories is undermining efforts to develop the national film industry.
In The Citizen newspaper, union's president Mabutho Sithole has said, "It can't happen that we want to develop our own Hollywood and yet bring in imports."
Union secretary general Oupa Lebogo has voiced out the same concern in The Times, saying "This decision must be reversed, it must be stopped now. If the matter doesn't come up for discussion, we will push for a moratorium to be placed on the film."
Jennifer Hudson, who has won the Oscar's best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls," is casted for the role of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela just last month. As the ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, she has tirelessly called for his husband's release during his 27-year imprisonment but her image would later be tarnished from involvement in a series of scandals leading to her separation from him.
The objection to the casting choice comes just days before the opening of the film, "Invictus," which focuses on Nelson Mandela and the South Africa's 1995 rugby World Cup victory that united the nation. The film is directed by Clint Eastwood with South African film-maker Darrell J. Roodt. Morgan Freeman plays the role of Nelson Mandela while Matt Damon plays the rugby team captain.
Labels: actors, actress, African actors, castings, Clint Eastwood, Hollywood Actors, Jennifer Hudson, Matt Damon, Nelson Mandela
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Reader's Comments
1 Comments:
There shouldn't be any difference as long as she is a good actress. This is the same when straight people act as gay people or when actors have to fake accents - it's what they do, it's acting!
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