Can a black guy play Billy The Kid?

[Larry the boss]

How much do we really know about Billy the Kid though? His origin

He is no different than King Arthur and Pocahontas imo.

well for one he was white

[Zaroku]

Why not? Didn’t Marlon Brando played a Japanese guy and won an oscar. Anything is possible

I did not know this??? I did not know Nicky roomy won an Oscar for being a Japanese landlord in a movie called “ breakfast at Tiffany’s “.

Brando portraying a Japanese ??

[-Kev-]

First thing I thought of. If you can make a white historical figure black, then why not make a black one white. But then if you do that, the black groups come out of the woodwork crying "cultural appropriation", with their protest marches and letterheads. So no. If it's a real person, it has to actually look like the real life person.

Yeah, black people would be mad, rightfully so. But it wouldn’t necessarily be the first time it would be done. For example, white people in the past, notoriously used to play non white characters, sometimes with paint on them to make them darker for African American roles.

So yes, black people would “cry” about white people playing black roles, but white people are no strangers to that.

John Wayne, a white man, played a historical figure who was Asian, Genghis Khan.

Laurence Olivier, a white man, played a black character, with makeup to make him look
Black, in the movie Othello.

In the movie “21” from 2008, based on a true story of Asian American MIT students, the cast was all American white people.

Just a few examples but there’s 100s of example of this. Fictional or actual historical figure.

[califo]

Doesn't matter to me but just don't let Jackie Chan play Abe Lincoln.

[Anthony342]

Yeah, black people would be mad, rightfully so. But it wouldn’t necessarily be the first time it would be done. For example, white people in the past, notoriously used to play non white characters, sometimes with paint on them to make them darker for African American roles.

So yes, black people would “cry” about white people playing black roles, but white people are no strangers to that.

John Wayne, a white man, played a historical figure who was Asian, Genghis Khan.

Laurence Olivier, a white man, played a black character, with makeup to make him look
Black, in the movie Othello.

In the movie “21” from 2008, based on a true story of Asian American MIT students, the cast was all American white people.

Just a few examples but there’s 100s of example of this. Fictional or actual historical figure.

Those weren't right either. If you're gonna play a real life person, it should kind of be a given that they actually look like the person, which should include being the same ethnicity. I guess in the old days they got around that by painting and darkening the skin of white actors with makeup, but there's no need to do that now.