Source: Gotham
Warner Bros. have admitted they made a mistake when deciding to “black up” a white stunt woman to resemble a black actress during filming for the new American crime show Gotham.
Producers of the show have quickly changed their plans to use a white actress in next week’s filming after their actions were questioned by website Deadline. Dark make-up was applied to the stunt woman in a hair and make-up test earlier this week (Monday) during a hair and make-up test. After this was quizzed by press, Warner soon hired a black actress in replacement.
The act of “blacking up” or “painting down” was a popular practice in the 1930’s, but of course times have changed massively since then. Now the practice is deemed unacceptable by acting associations such as the US Screen Actors Guild.
In a statement released by the television company, Warner Bros. said: “A mistake was made this week in casting a stunt woman for a guest star in a particular scene on the show.
“The situation has been rectified, and we regret the error.”
Gotham, the Batman spin-off starring Ben McKenzie, is currently airing in the US on FOX and will air this Monday (Oct 13) on Channel 5 in the UK.
