ICYMI: The Worst Point from Deadline’s Racist Article

By Qimmah Saafir Mar 26, 2015

Nellie Andreeva’s deplorable Deadline article, "Pilots 2015: The Year Of Ethnic Castings – About Time Or Too Much Of Good Thing?" has been getting an expected (and warranted) amount of backlash. The piece, in which Andreeva proposes that people of color might now be getting too much TV air time and that "Caucasians" are losing roles was posted on Tuesday and has received numerous lengthy responses from rightfully ticked-off readers.

The most ridiculous point from the debacle (there were many to choose from):

[As] is the case with any sea change, the pendulum might have swung a bit too far in the opposite direction. Instead of opening the field for actors of any race to compete for any role in a color-blind manner, there has been a significant number of parts designated as ethnic this year, making them off-limits for Caucasian actors, some agents signal. Many pilot characters this year were listed as open to all ethnicities, but when reps would call to inquire about an actor submission, they frequently have been told that only non-Caucasian actors would be considered. "Basically 50% of the roles in a pilot have to be ethnic, and the mandate goes all the way down to guest parts," one talent representative said.

Shonda Rhimes gave the definitive reaction:

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