After controversy over stereotyped lineup of two actors ‘Power Rangers’, screenwriter Tony Oliver apologizes to the public
Tony Oliverscripist-chief of ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’, publicly apologized for the lineups considered racially insensitive in the original series, first aired in 1993. In a new episode of the Dark Side of Hollywood’ by Investigation Discovery, he classified as “an error” the decision to climb an Asian actress and an Asian actress to play, respectively, respectively, respectively, respectively, respectively, the black grotch and the yellow ranger.
According to OliverAt the time of production, the team did not attack the symbolic impact of these choices, saying, “None of us are thinking of stereotypes.” In the episode titled “The Dark Side of The Power Rangers,” he also stated that only after a meeting, when an assistant pointed out the association between colors and the character of the characters, he realized the stereotyped connotation. “It was a huge mistake,” he said.
Walter Emanuel Joneswho interpreted Zack Taylor, The Black Ranger, and THUY TRAGwho lived Trini Kwan, the yellow ranger, participated in the series in the first two seasons. The writer also explained that their participation was the determining factor for the series Ir to air.
Backstage images displayed in the documentary show that part of the cast was aware of the associations made. In one of the recordings, Jones Play: “My name is Walter Jones, I play Zack. I’m black and play the black ranger – you will understand.”
The controversy was approached by other team members, for example, in a 2013 co-creator interview of the series, Shuki Levi, when he stated that cast decisions were not intentional, justifying that he and Haim saban They grew up in Israel and were not familiar with racial discussions in the United States.
It was not intentional anyway. At the time, Haim [Saban] And I were new in this country. We do not grow in the same environment that exists in America as to racial issues. We grew up in Israel, where being a black person was like any other. It’s not something we talked about all the time. It was not a big problem. “
In a publication on social networks on Wednesday, April 9, the black ranger actor commented on the repercussion of his character’s costume. “I understand the urge to address what can be seen as cultural insensitivity,” he wrote on Instagram. “But calling him” error “discards the impact he had on countless people who found inspiration and representation on the first black superhero of TV.”
The actress Amy Jo Johnsonwho interpreted Ranger Pink, also manifested. “Walter Jones was making a good mood jokes about it. I find it funny as long as it wasn’t intentional. But, honestly? What was it. That would not happen today.”
‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ premiered in Brazil in October 1994 on Fox Kids, and was shown on TV Globo in January 1995. The series had three seasons and was succeeded by ‘Power Rangers Zeo’.
The documentary ‘Hollywood Demons’ series, or in Portuguese titled ‘The Dark Side of Hollywood’, is available on the Max platform.
Source: Recreio
