Last time we heard anything from Guy Ritchie’s live-action version of Aladdin (which includes Will Smith in the Cast) was when Disney announced that it had created a totally new role for the caucasian Billy Magnussen, and the latest update doesn’t make Disney look any better. According to reports, there has been a process where they admitted to darkening the white extras in the live-action “for roles requiring skills that could not be readily found in the Brown community” near the studio were filming was happening. Specifically, that included “stunt men, dancers, and camel handlers.”
“Disney are sending out a message that your skin color, your identity, your life experiences amount to nothing that can be powered on and washed off,” said extra Kaushal Odedra, a stand-in for Aladdin, who also reported seeing multiple caucasian actors tanned to look Middle Eastern with makeup.
According to him, he saw multiple white actors who had been “heavily tanned to look Middle Eastern,” as well as “very fair-skinned” actors waiting to be “darkened.” He raised this issue with the crew, noting that they were “almost entirely white” and it “seemed somewhat intimidating” because of that. Ritchie didn’t comment on the story, but in addition to confirming the report, Disney noted that Aladdin has “the most diverse cast ever assembled for a Disney live-action production.”
