Marvel’s Eternals actor reveals Hollywood’s refusal to cast nonwhite villains
Julia Johnson
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Kumail Nanjiani said Hollywood is unwilling to cast nonwhite actors as villains.
In an interview published Monday, the Eternals actor said he was warned, “People don’t want to cast nonwhite people as bad guys.”
Nanjiani said he wanted to play a wider variety of roles like fellow Marvel actor Sebastian Stan.
“He does these big Marvel movies, and then he’ll play a psychopath,” he said.
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“That’s just as limiting as anything else,” he explained. “I want to play more bad guys.”
The actor wondered what kind of message would be sent by the inclusion of a nonwhite villain despite his stated desire to play one.
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Nanjiani said of the current climate in entertainment, “I think that Hollywood now, even though they’re trying to be more diverse, is still weird.” He claimed that his latest role in the Welcome to Chippendales miniseries likely would’ve gone to a white actor had it not been based on a true story.
The series is a true crime production. It’s based on the story of Somen Banerjee, who founded the famous male dance troupe the Chippendales.