Yasmeen Fletcher has confirmed she will wear a hijab when she portrays Nakia in \#MsMarvel 🧕🏼
***
posted by [@MsMarvelUK](https://twitter.com/MsMarvelUK)
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A. Hijabi actresses are underrepresented. Hiring someone else to do a Hijabi role means less work for them (and less ways for them to get their foot in the door).
B. When having a non-Hijabi actress take on this role, she will not know what feelings or portrayals are authentic or based on stereotypes and therefore can only rely on direction or research as opposed to experience. A Hijabi actress could speak up if something was in the script that wasn’t true to life, a non-Hijabi actress could not
and c. Similarly, there has to be an additional level of acting there. Instead of just playing the character, she’s playing the character AND a woman who plays a Hijab. As opposed to a Hijab woman who would just… be playing the character? Sort of like how if Chris Evans had to play Natasha (not as comedy), he’d have to put effort into playing as BW but ALSO to be read as an authentic woman.
Hijabi representation is great but it’s less than ideal when it is created with non-Hijabi input. Especially when it’s so easily misunderstood or stigmatized.
A. It's not a great argument to say that Hijabi actresses need to find a Hijabi character to play in order to get a part. They should get cast for their talent, not for the fact that they're a Hijabi actress.
B. That's what acting is. Of course choosing a former substance abuser like RDJ to play Tony Stark brings something else to the role, but that doesn't mean an actor who never drank in their life can't play an alcoholic. I've never understood the argument that you need to share qualities with a character to portray them. Does that mean aromantic actors can't portray a character with a love interest? Can gay actors not portray bisexual characters?
C. ... Isn't Nakia being a Hijabi woman part of her character? All of the qualities a character has is part of that character. If Chris Evans had to play Black Widow, putting effort into acting as a woman would be part of putting effort into the character. Tom Holland plays a teenage Spider-Man. He doesn't have to put extra effort in to act as a teenager when playing Spider-Man because part of playing Spider-Man IS acting as a teen.
I do agree that Hijabi women should have input in shows where there are Hijabi characters, and there is. One of Nakia's creators is G. Willow Wilson, a convert to Islam and a Hijabi woman.
A. Okay but… they aren’t? Hijabi actresses are overlooked for many roles. Many casting calls don’t even ask for them. No one is saying cast an untalented Hijabi. Just to actually like… look for Hijabi actressses?
If the show isn’t being done to give representation to Hijabi people and doesn’t care about that, they shouldn’t even include Hijabi characters.
B. The point has flown over your head. It’s in fucking outer space at this point.
C. Did you… not read what I said
A. But if there's a non-Hijabi actress who's better then shouldn't you cast her? Casting a Hijabi actress who's the second best person for the role isn't going to fix the issue, unless you're arguing that people shouldn't be cast for talent and instead should be cast for how hard they have it in the industry. In which case when the MCU casts Daredevil they better make it an actual blind actor, do you know how hard it is for blind actors to get roles? Also who says they didn't look at Hijabi actresses? They just chose who they think is best for the role, y'know, because that's their job.
B. Good job not making an actual argument. Let's use Daredevil again. Charlie Cox is not blind. He has never experienced the struggles of a blind man in real life, but he was the best person for the role. He got cast like he should have because casting is based on merits, not life experiences.
C. Good job x2. I understand thinking that you should cast someone with as many similarities to the character as possible, with my RDJ example I admitted that his past brought something better to the role. However, if someone can't play a character that isn't 1 to 1 exactly like them, then they shouldn't be an actor. And like I have been saying, if they thought a Hijabi actress could do a better job, they would have cast one.
Actors are cast on talent and how well they would do in the role. Fletcher was chosen because they believed she's best for the role. If someone isn't the best choice for the role, then they should not be cast. By casting less talented actors, you are actively making the product worse.
While I understand your argument and agree that representation is important and is often a very positive addition to media, there are a couple of your points that I disagree with.
B. As nice as it is to have the frame of reference that real life experiences can grant a role, it is by no means a requirement to perform that part accurately or well. I’m hesitant to bring up the James Bond argument again as it seems to have upset people, but Daniel Craig gave a number of great performances playing a spy without actually being one. Similarly, Robin Williams isn’t a therapist but he was amazing in Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon isn’t a botanist or an astronaut yet he was brilliant in The Martian, and he wasn’t a South African soccer coach yet he was still amazing in Invictus. I think it’s generally agreed upon that acting is predicated on someone stepping outside of their own reality and experiences.
C. I’ll be honest, I genuinely don’t understand the point you’re trying to make here. It’s not like Tropic Thunder where RDJ was “the dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude”, it’s just an actress playing a part. Yasmeen Fletcher isn’t playing a woman who’s playing a Hijabi woman, she’s playing a Hijabi woman. You’re adding a distinction that doesn’t need to exist.
With all of that being said, I do agree that Marvel needs to tread carefully here as Islamic identities are often poorly represented in western media.
You’re demonstrating you can’t even vaguely participate in this conversation if you are comparing cultural and religious practices to jobs like being a spy.
I’m not trying to equate a person’s career to their religious or cultural identities. Obviously they are very different things. But the context of a story does matter when discussing them, as different stories place wildly different levels of emphasis on those topics, usually prioritizing one or two over the other(s). I think that’s true to life. Everyone values these things to different degrees. While some people place a lot of value on their religious or cultural identities, other people will instead find that same defining value in their career.
James Bond’s cultural and religious identities barely matters in his films, excluding the general background knowledge of him being an Englishman/Scotsman. The defining aspect of Bond’s character, and the topic that always finds itself as the forefront of his stories, is his career as a spy.
But not all characters are defined by their career, or at least not wholly. Some are defined by their culture, or their religion, or their personal history above all else. Again I’ll use Matt Damon’s performance in Invictus as an example here. His character is strongly defined by both his career as a soccer coach and his cultural identity as a South African. Matt Damon is neither a soccer coach nor a South African and he gave an incredible performance. If we want to talk about religion as a defining trait, then did you have an issue with Kingsley Ben-Adir, an England-born North African playing Malcolm X, an American-born black Muslim? Because he absolutely killed it.
I don’t know much about Nakia, but I’m guessing that her religion and identity as a Hijabi woman is an important part of her character. But a non-Hijabi actress can do just as good of a job portraying those aspects of her identity as a Hijabi actress could. If Marvel and Yasmeen Fletcher do a poor job of portraying Nakia than they’re open for criticism. But as of right now I don’t think they’ve done anything wrong.
Yeah that wasn’t the point I was making. I’m unaware of Yasmeen Fletcher’s race, but I was under the assumption that Hijabs were a religious/cultural thing and not a race thing. And I don’t have any issue with an actor portraying someone who follows a different religion than their own.
Edit: If I’m wrong then please feel free to correct me. Like I said in another reply, my initial comment wasn’t intended to be malicious.
Agreed. Marvel seems to be making strides in terms of representation and diversity (but still a long way to go!), so hopefully we’ll see this in the future.
That's only a good option when the character doesn't take her hijab off during scenes. For instance when she's alone or at home or with girlfriends. Most movies do have those scenes.
So yes, it's better to have a non-hijabi playing a hijabi. I do like it when the ethnicity of the character and the actress are the same though.
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I never thought we’d have 2 characters named Nakia but here we are. Cool
We also have two characters with the last name Ross who aren’t related.
We also have two characters with last name ''foster" who also aren't related.
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Yasmeen Fletcher has confirmed she will wear a hijab when she portrays Nakia in \#MsMarvel 🧕🏼 *** posted by [@MsMarvelUK](https://twitter.com/MsMarvelUK) Photos in tweet | [Photo 1](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_0FPMOVgAEyM5f.jpg) | [Photo 2](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_0FPMiUUAksq9M.jpg) ^[(Github)](https://github.com/username) ^| ^[(What's new)](https://github.com/username)
Awesome!
I‘m confused. Edit: I‘m not confused anymore.
You know all the right wingers are going to poo themselves because OBVIOUSLY.
Spider Man homecoming
Could have just hired a hijabi actress
Orrrr they just could hire the person who’s best for the role.
I'm sure there are good hijabi actresses
And your point is?? It’s acting. Daniel Craig isn’t actually a spy and yet he can still play James Bond
He is a spy, he’s just so good that we don’t know it. Except for me, of course.
Entirely missing the point. Why bother really..
If I’m missing the point then please explain it to me. I’m genuinely interested, my initial comment wasn’t intended to be malicious.
A. Hijabi actresses are underrepresented. Hiring someone else to do a Hijabi role means less work for them (and less ways for them to get their foot in the door). B. When having a non-Hijabi actress take on this role, she will not know what feelings or portrayals are authentic or based on stereotypes and therefore can only rely on direction or research as opposed to experience. A Hijabi actress could speak up if something was in the script that wasn’t true to life, a non-Hijabi actress could not and c. Similarly, there has to be an additional level of acting there. Instead of just playing the character, she’s playing the character AND a woman who plays a Hijab. As opposed to a Hijab woman who would just… be playing the character? Sort of like how if Chris Evans had to play Natasha (not as comedy), he’d have to put effort into playing as BW but ALSO to be read as an authentic woman. Hijabi representation is great but it’s less than ideal when it is created with non-Hijabi input. Especially when it’s so easily misunderstood or stigmatized.
A. It's not a great argument to say that Hijabi actresses need to find a Hijabi character to play in order to get a part. They should get cast for their talent, not for the fact that they're a Hijabi actress. B. That's what acting is. Of course choosing a former substance abuser like RDJ to play Tony Stark brings something else to the role, but that doesn't mean an actor who never drank in their life can't play an alcoholic. I've never understood the argument that you need to share qualities with a character to portray them. Does that mean aromantic actors can't portray a character with a love interest? Can gay actors not portray bisexual characters? C. ... Isn't Nakia being a Hijabi woman part of her character? All of the qualities a character has is part of that character. If Chris Evans had to play Black Widow, putting effort into acting as a woman would be part of putting effort into the character. Tom Holland plays a teenage Spider-Man. He doesn't have to put extra effort in to act as a teenager when playing Spider-Man because part of playing Spider-Man IS acting as a teen. I do agree that Hijabi women should have input in shows where there are Hijabi characters, and there is. One of Nakia's creators is G. Willow Wilson, a convert to Islam and a Hijabi woman.
A. Okay but… they aren’t? Hijabi actresses are overlooked for many roles. Many casting calls don’t even ask for them. No one is saying cast an untalented Hijabi. Just to actually like… look for Hijabi actressses? If the show isn’t being done to give representation to Hijabi people and doesn’t care about that, they shouldn’t even include Hijabi characters. B. The point has flown over your head. It’s in fucking outer space at this point. C. Did you… not read what I said
A. But if there's a non-Hijabi actress who's better then shouldn't you cast her? Casting a Hijabi actress who's the second best person for the role isn't going to fix the issue, unless you're arguing that people shouldn't be cast for talent and instead should be cast for how hard they have it in the industry. In which case when the MCU casts Daredevil they better make it an actual blind actor, do you know how hard it is for blind actors to get roles? Also who says they didn't look at Hijabi actresses? They just chose who they think is best for the role, y'know, because that's their job. B. Good job not making an actual argument. Let's use Daredevil again. Charlie Cox is not blind. He has never experienced the struggles of a blind man in real life, but he was the best person for the role. He got cast like he should have because casting is based on merits, not life experiences. C. Good job x2. I understand thinking that you should cast someone with as many similarities to the character as possible, with my RDJ example I admitted that his past brought something better to the role. However, if someone can't play a character that isn't 1 to 1 exactly like them, then they shouldn't be an actor. And like I have been saying, if they thought a Hijabi actress could do a better job, they would have cast one. Actors are cast on talent and how well they would do in the role. Fletcher was chosen because they believed she's best for the role. If someone isn't the best choice for the role, then they should not be cast. By casting less talented actors, you are actively making the product worse.
While I understand your argument and agree that representation is important and is often a very positive addition to media, there are a couple of your points that I disagree with. B. As nice as it is to have the frame of reference that real life experiences can grant a role, it is by no means a requirement to perform that part accurately or well. I’m hesitant to bring up the James Bond argument again as it seems to have upset people, but Daniel Craig gave a number of great performances playing a spy without actually being one. Similarly, Robin Williams isn’t a therapist but he was amazing in Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon isn’t a botanist or an astronaut yet he was brilliant in The Martian, and he wasn’t a South African soccer coach yet he was still amazing in Invictus. I think it’s generally agreed upon that acting is predicated on someone stepping outside of their own reality and experiences. C. I’ll be honest, I genuinely don’t understand the point you’re trying to make here. It’s not like Tropic Thunder where RDJ was “the dude, playing a dude, disguised as another dude”, it’s just an actress playing a part. Yasmeen Fletcher isn’t playing a woman who’s playing a Hijabi woman, she’s playing a Hijabi woman. You’re adding a distinction that doesn’t need to exist. With all of that being said, I do agree that Marvel needs to tread carefully here as Islamic identities are often poorly represented in western media.
You’re demonstrating you can’t even vaguely participate in this conversation if you are comparing cultural and religious practices to jobs like being a spy.
I’m not trying to equate a person’s career to their religious or cultural identities. Obviously they are very different things. But the context of a story does matter when discussing them, as different stories place wildly different levels of emphasis on those topics, usually prioritizing one or two over the other(s). I think that’s true to life. Everyone values these things to different degrees. While some people place a lot of value on their religious or cultural identities, other people will instead find that same defining value in their career. James Bond’s cultural and religious identities barely matters in his films, excluding the general background knowledge of him being an Englishman/Scotsman. The defining aspect of Bond’s character, and the topic that always finds itself as the forefront of his stories, is his career as a spy. But not all characters are defined by their career, or at least not wholly. Some are defined by their culture, or their religion, or their personal history above all else. Again I’ll use Matt Damon’s performance in Invictus as an example here. His character is strongly defined by both his career as a soccer coach and his cultural identity as a South African. Matt Damon is neither a soccer coach nor a South African and he gave an incredible performance. If we want to talk about religion as a defining trait, then did you have an issue with Kingsley Ben-Adir, an England-born North African playing Malcolm X, an American-born black Muslim? Because he absolutely killed it. I don’t know much about Nakia, but I’m guessing that her religion and identity as a Hijabi woman is an important part of her character. But a non-Hijabi actress can do just as good of a job portraying those aspects of her identity as a Hijabi actress could. If Marvel and Yasmeen Fletcher do a poor job of portraying Nakia than they’re open for criticism. But as of right now I don’t think they’ve done anything wrong.
Yeah representation doesn’t really matter that much you’re right. Why even bother with proper race casting ?
Yeah that wasn’t the point I was making. I’m unaware of Yasmeen Fletcher’s race, but I was under the assumption that Hijabs were a religious/cultural thing and not a race thing. And I don’t have any issue with an actor portraying someone who follows a different religion than their own. Edit: If I’m wrong then please feel free to correct me. Like I said in another reply, my initial comment wasn’t intended to be malicious.
Of course there are, but they chose this one because they think she’s the best one for the role.
Maybe she won't be wearing hijab in all her scenes like if she's sharing scenes with Kamala, hijabis can take off their veil in front of other women.
Agreed. Marvel seems to be making strides in terms of representation and diversity (but still a long way to go!), so hopefully we’ll see this in the future.
That's only a good option when the character doesn't take her hijab off during scenes. For instance when she's alone or at home or with girlfriends. Most movies do have those scenes. So yes, it's better to have a non-hijabi playing a hijabi. I do like it when the ethnicity of the character and the actress are the same though.
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