TVLine Nov 22: New Role (episode 314)

[kfchimera]

The Wiz is a famous take on the Wizard of Oz, moving it to an urban setting and featuring an all black cast.   If they are doing some scenes in NY, it might be that they’re updating and modernizing the tale!

That aside, she could be as POM said, an attempt to introduce diversity but I do think Tiana still works.    I’m extrapolating a lot from an animated character written for a 2 hour movie, mind you but I think she does have some skittishness.

She freaks out about the frog when she first sees it, she isn’t exactly thrilled to hear there’s alligators (cause they’d eat her!) and she is a bit shy about other people.  Her friends want to go dancing, and she doesn’t want to go, in part because she has to work, but in part because she sort of closes her self off.   The scene after the brokers go back on their word, implying something about her “background, Tiana just ends up falling into her food stand, rather than charging after the double-crosser greedy guys, and calling them out. She’s just sort of stunned.  Lottie comes and picks her up, and then forces Tiana into a new dress, while Tiana stands very shyly looking at herself.

There’s a piece of her that’s not confident and strong when it comes to things other than work, cooking and achieving her dream of her own restaurant.  So I could see a new take on her character playing up some of that insecure side.

 

[RumplesGirl]

The Wiz is a famous take on the Wizard of Oz, moving it to an urban setting and featuring an all black cast. If they are doing some scenes in NY, it might be that they’re updating and modernizing the tale!

Also true. There is a precedence for having Dorothy be African-American. So I don’t think race is a factor here.

Also, not trying to start something here, just reporting: but often ONCE get slammed for their poor representation of people of color on their show: they either die or are evil (Lancelot, Tamara, the FGM, Marian). I’m not saying A and E need to cater to that, but as TV execs they *do* have to consider these things. And having something The Wiz as their launching point for their take on Oz makes sense. Killing two birds with one stone as it were: make a reference to The Wiz and bring in a stronger POC character with an African-American Dorothy.

There’s a piece of her that’s not confident and strong when it comes to things other than work, cooking and achieving her dream of her own restaurant. So I could see a new take on her character playing up some of that insecure side.

I have no problems with this girl being Tiana either

I’m sure that their take on either story would be great. (And let’s face it, we’re probably wrong no matter what)

 

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[TheWatcher]

Ya know whats funny tho… That description really doesn’t sound like Tiana. Unless they are putting some spin to her tale. The description DOES sound like SOMEONE to me >.< but I cant put my finger on who it is.....

"I could have the giant duck as my steed!" --Daniel Radcliffe
Keeper Of Tamara's Taser , Jafar's Staff, Kitsis’s Glasses , Ariel’s Tail, Dopey's Hat , Peter Pan’s Shadow, Outfit, & Pied Cloak,Red Queen's Castle, White Rabbit's Power To World Hop, Zelena's BroomStick, & ALL MAGIC

[kfchimera]

Lass makes me think of Merida, so could be new spin on a not so old tale.

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

[Slurpeez]

I could actually see this teenage girl being a younger version of Tamara in a flashback. She might not always have been so confident in her mission. Plenty of girls are insecure and nervous at age 14.

"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy

[TheWatcher]

I could actually see this teenage girl being a younger version of Tamara in a flashback. She might not always have been so confident in her mission. Plenty of girls are insecure and nervous at age 14.

But it said she was recurring? If it is… We are in a for a few Tamara flashbacks

"I could have the giant duck as my steed!" --Daniel Radcliffe
Keeper Of Tamara's Taser , Jafar's Staff, Kitsis’s Glasses , Ariel’s Tail, Dopey's Hat , Peter Pan’s Shadow, Outfit, & Pied Cloak,Red Queen's Castle, White Rabbit's Power To World Hop, Zelena's BroomStick, & ALL MAGIC

[RumplesGirl]

Slurpeez108 wrote: I could actually see this teenage girl being a younger version of Tamara in a flashback. She might not always have been so confident in her mission. Plenty of girls are insecure and nervous at age 14.

But it said she was recurring? If it is… We are in a for a few Tamara flashbacks

Just me, but I don’t really want to see Tamara again. I’d rather have her story be exposition. I also wouldn’t classify her as someone who could “be a hero”

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[oncemusicfan]

If it was for Dorothy, why would they specify that the actress had to be black? I think Tiana may be the more likely one since she was Disney’s first black princess and if she suddenly became white, eyebrows would be raised. I’m guessing whoever this character is may become someone for Henry to hang with unless they go for a Lost boy style teenager. Perhaps she is just an original character for Henry to hang with and she has to be black in order to add racial diversity to the show. I think the trope is called Token Black Team mate.

 

Ok, I bit my tongue when people made negative comments regarding Sonequa Martin Green (Tamara) and Sinqua Walls (Lancelot) due to their race. I even bit my tongue when I heard some borderline offensive racial comments on the podcast. But I need to say this. I am SO ridiculously tired of others devaluing the talent of black actors on this show by saying things like they’re only there for “racial diversity.” It is sad that this is an issue today. I feel the need to defend these actors because the only reason they are ever talked about as actors it seems, is because of their race,  and not because they did a decent job acting a particular role. Honestly, who cares what race ANY of these characters are??  I never hear anyone say “They needed a Latina actress on the show, so that’s why they cast Lana Parrilla.” All I hear is that she’s an amazing actress, and that’s because she IS! I just want the same for every actor that does a great job, regardless of their race.

*rant over*

 

Dorothy would be nice to see. That is all.

[TheWatcher]

PriceofMagic wrote: If it was for Dorothy, why would they specify that the actress had to be black? I think Tiana may be the more likely one since she was Disney’s first black princess and if she suddenly became white, eyebrows would be raised. I’m guessing whoever this character is may become someone for Henry to hang with unless they go for a Lost boy style teenager. Perhaps she is just an original character for Henry to hang with and she has to be black in order to add racial diversity to the show. I think the trope is called Token Black Team mate.

Ok, I bit my tongue when people made negative comments regarding Sonequa Martin Green (Tamara) and Sinqua Walls (Lancelot) due to their race. I even bit my tongue when I heard some borderline offensive racial comments on the podcast. But I need to say this. I am SO ridiculously tired of others devaluing the talent of black actors on this show by saying things like they’re only there for “racial diversity.” It is sad that this is an issue today. I feel the need to defend these actors because the only reason they are ever talked about as actors it seems, is because of their race, and not because they did a decent job acting a particular role. Honestly, who cares what race ANY of these characters are?? I never hear anyone say “They needed a Latina actress on the show, so that’s why they cast Lana Parrilla.” All I hear is that she’s an amazing actress, and that’s because she IS! I just want the same for every actor that does a great job, regardless of their race. *rant over* Dorothy would be nice to see. That is all.

Agreed! As I black person, I would like to see more people of color (not just blacks I mean) on the show but not to diverse the cast. You are absolutely right about how no one says Lana is there just to have a Latina actress and I want it to be the same for others. Tamara, had she turned good because I REALLY wanted to see more of her, was still a great character with a lot of potential and I think I was one of the few to actually be sad to see her go :/ but atleast at this mention of a new African American cast member, even if its only for a few episodes, I think its nice v.v idk where I was going with this post but yes. Whoever the actress or character is should be judged on her skills rather than her color. So Dorothy or Tiana or even a black version of a different tale, I’m looking for to seeing it. *honestly forgot where this was going*

"I could have the giant duck as my steed!" --Daniel Radcliffe
Keeper Of Tamara's Taser , Jafar's Staff, Kitsis’s Glasses , Ariel’s Tail, Dopey's Hat , Peter Pan’s Shadow, Outfit, & Pied Cloak,Red Queen's Castle, White Rabbit's Power To World Hop, Zelena's BroomStick, & ALL MAGIC

[PriceofMagic]

PriceofMagic wrote:

If it was for Dorothy, why would they specify that the actress had to be black? I think Tiana may be the more likely one since she was Disney’s first black princess and if she suddenly became white, eyebrows would be raised. I’m guessing whoever this character is may become someone for Henry to hang with unless they go for a Lost boy style teenager. Perhaps she is just an original character for Henry to hang with and she has to be black in order to add racial diversity to the show. I think the trope is called Token Black Team mate.

Ok, I bit my tongue when people made negative comments regarding Sonequa Martin Green (Tamara) and Sinqua Walls (Lancelot) due to their race. I even bit my tongue when I heard some borderline offensive racial comments on the podcast. But I need to say this. I am SO ridiculously tired of others devaluing the talent of black actors on this show by saying things like they’re only there for “racial diversity.” It is sad that this is an issue today. I feel the need to defend these actors because the only reason they are ever talked about as actors it seems, is because of their race, and not because they did a decent job acting a particular role. Honestly, who cares what race ANY of these characters are?? I never hear anyone say “They needed a Latina actress on the show, so that’s why they cast Lana Parrilla.” All I hear is that she’s an amazing actress, and that’s because she IS! I just want the same for every actor that does a great job, regardless of their race.

*rant over*

NOBODY is “devaluing the talent of black actors on this show by saying things like they’re only there for racial diversity”. Tamara’s and Lancelot’s actors did a good job, nobody’s criticising them. I was just questioning WHY they would specify that a CHARACTER has to be black instead of the race of character being determined by the best actress for the job. I don’t care what race a character turns out to be. However, isn’t it fair to say that some characters HAVE to be the race they are normally portrayed as? How would you feel if they made Storm from X-Men white or Tiana from Princess and the Frog white?

Shows try to be racially diverse so that they can appeal to the widest audience as possible. As it currently stands, there are no black characters on Once that are still living. Cinderella’s FGM- Dead, Lancelot- Dead, Marian- Dead, Tamara- Dead. I made no judgement over any of the black actors/actresses talent. I was merely questioning whether the specificity of race in the casting call was because the character is normally portrayed as black or whether they wanted to add some more racial diversity to the show that currently consists of a mainly white cast. It is in no way judging the future actress’s talent so I don’t know why you felt the need to respond to my post in the manner that you did.

All magic comes with a price!

Keeper of Felix

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