Reply To: The whitewashing of Lily

[Slurpeez]

I think the real issue isn’t just limited to race, since the term Latino is considered an ethno-linguistic classification; rather, a legitimate critique is about a lack of overall diversity on the show, and how it fails to reflect the real diversity of America. Right now, Latin Americans are classified as a minority group in the US, comprising 17% of the total population. Nevertheless, according to key demographic projections, Hispanic Americans are the second fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States. According to the Pew Research Foundation, if current population trends continue, Latinos will comprise 29% of the total American population by 2050. If A&E were thinking about breaking barriers, they might realize that promoting a more ethnically and racially diverse cast might not be such a bad idea, and dare I say it, might actually be progressive, rather than being stuck 30 years in the past.

As TV critic Lily Sparks wrote about 4×19 Lily:

But of course, who is the first person Emma sees in the diner? A woman with Lily’s birthmark! It’s a good thing she had that birthmark because in the last 15 years she’d apparently changed ethnicities? Historically, OUAT has done an amazing job of physically matching child actors to the grown actors who play the same character. OUAT also has, famously, little to no racial diversity in its cast. The majority of people of color onscreen are peripheral characters that disappear after a few episodes. Lily, an original character whose arc is becoming increasingly important, was originated by the super-talented Nicole Munoz and I think we all assumed the wizards behind OUAT’s eerily on-point child-to-adult casting would figure out a great aged-up lookalike counterpart for her, ergo a Latina. And they didn’t, and that’s a huge missed opportunity for both the show and the thousands of Latina actresses in Hollywood who need parts like this.

Source: TV.com