Faith-based films still struggling with diversity
As another Jesus story is resurrected on the big screen, so is the potential for backlash over whitewashed casting.
The Young Messiah (in theaters Friday) follows the 7-year-old Son of God (played by British actor Adam Greaves-Neal) as he journeys from Egypt to Nazareth, where he grows into his religious identity. Based on Anne Rice's novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, the film features a mostly European group of actors — joining other biblical epics with predominantly white stars including Noah and Exodus: Gods and Kings, both of which drew ire for their lack of diversity.
Excluding minorities wasn't the intention of writer/director Cyrus Nowrasteh, an Iranian-American filmmaker whose approach was to cast the rest of Messiah around the boy playing Jesus. He and producer Chris Columbus put out casting calls in Israel, Jordan and Italy, and auditioned 2,000 kids from the United Kingdom, Greece, Pakistan and other countries.
"I was open to any ethnic or racial component," Nowrasteh says. "We made our best effort to make as wide a search as possible. I wouldn't say that was because of a worry about backlash — I would say a concern that we have to find an exceptional child and he may be somewhere else."
Messiah is the latest in a long line of Hollywood films with white actors playing Jesus, including The Passion of the Christ, The Last Temptation of Christ and The Greatest Story Ever Told. While recent portrayals by minorities in Risen and Son of God have helped assuage that, other biblical retellings have come under fire for their lack of representation, specifically that by actors of Middle Eastern descent.
Noah, a $125-million drama with Russell Crowe, fielded criticism for its mostly British and Australian cast, and sailed to only $101.2 million at the box office in 2014. Later that year, director Ridley Scott tried defending his $140-million Exodus starring Christian Bale, which flopped with $65 million. “I can’t mount a film of this budget ... and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such," Scott told Variety. "I’m just not going to get it financed."
But "faith-based audiences are less star-driven — that's why we see films with lesser known (actors) rise to the top," says Erik Davis, managing editor for Movies.com and Fandango.com.
The rare Easter offering to assemble both a high-wattage cast and a diverse one is Fox's live musical The Passion (March 20), a modern retelling of the last hours of Jesus (played by Cuban-American actor Jencarlos Canela). The event is narrated by Tyler Perry and co-stars Prince Royce and Seal, although no talent of Middle-Eastern descent is represented.
"We wanted it to have a diverse feel," executive producer Mark Bracco says. "This is the cast that we feel represents as many groups and ethnicities as we could."
Still, there's room for more minority talent to be represented, in faith-based projects and beyond.
"Right now, diversity is a big issue, and that's going to speak to a lot of the producers and studios who are making these decisions," Davis says. "We're going to see a tide change. Hopefully sooner rather than later."
