Dwayne Johnson and Netflix face backlash over black folk hero movie
The Rock has been hit with criticism for accepting the role of dark-skinned African-American folk legend John Henry
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will play African-American folk hero John Henry in a new Netflix movie – but not everyone is pleased with his casting in such an iconic role.
For those not familiar with the legend of John Henry, he's a mythic African-American steel driver who is said to have successfully raced against a steam-powered rock drilling machine with just his bare hands and a hammer, a contest which killed him but earned him his victory.
- Ed Skrein quits Hellboy reboot after 'whitewashing' controversy
- Scarlett Johansson pulls out of trans role after backlash over casting
- Sign up for the free RadioTimes.com newsletter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzeGk0_v-sc
Traditionally he has been portrayed in cartoons and TV shows as a dark-skinned black man. That's why many have taken issue with the fact that Johnson is mixed-race and light-skinned – when opportunities for dark-skinned black actors in Hollywood can be much more limited.
Others have hit back, arguing that Johnson's skin colour should not limit the roles he can play.
Describing Henry as one of his "childhood heroes", Johnson told his Instagram followers: "I'll lead an ensemble of the most popular folklore figures and legends from different cultures around the world. Netflix is the perfect partner & platform to bring these global folklore icons to life."
He also stressed the personal significance of John Henry, writing: "The legend of John Henry's strength, endurance, dignity and cultural pride was instilled in my DNA at a very young age. My dad would sing 'Big John' to me every time he would put me to bed."
https://twitter.com/TheRock/status/1049783776094670848
The controversy has centred around Johnson's heritage, with a Samoan mother and a black father, and the issues of "colourism" and whitewashing.
https://twitter.com/risingpupil/status/1049800499044786176
https://twitter.com/ThatsSoAshtynn/status/1049780450368077826
https://twitter.com/seasaltgum/status/1050137925885792256
https://twitter.com/Tee_aww_knee/status/1049808317806071808
https://twitter.com/RadFemme74/status/1049781576475774982
But others have weighed in, arguing that it shouldn't be about the shade of his skin colour...
https://twitter.com/estevezcamillio/status/1050108248303366144
https://twitter.com/anthony_bingus/status/1050113331581710337
https://twitter.com/LOVINGUBLUE/status/1049813693100363777
No release date has been announced, but Netflix says John Henry and the Statesmen is "coming soon."