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 From: mouth@onlegs.org 
  
 Ubiquitous  wrote in 
 news:ulcsk0$uq1h$4@dont-email.me: 
  
 > According to Doctor Who casting director Andy Pryor, the backlash to 
 > the series€ race-swapping of real-world historical figure Sir Isaac 
 > Newton has nothing to do with historical accuracy or a growing 
 > exhaustion with identity-politics, but is instead based solely in € 
 > you guessed it € viewers€ own racist attitudes. 
 > 
 > Taking place in Wild Blue Yonder, the second of three new Doctor Who 
 > holiday specials helmed by returning showrunner Russell T Davies€ and 
 > produced in honor of the series€ 60th anniversary, the historical 
 > revisionism in question saw the real-world English physicist brought 
 > to life by half-Indian The Witcher: Blood Origin actor Nathaniel 
 > Curtis, in doing so portraying him not as the white man he provably 
 > was, but rather as someone of an unspecified ethnic descent (despite 
 > his actor€s noted heritage, the episode never specifically addresses 
 > the background of its race-swapped Newton). 
 > 
 > Following the special€s premiere, Pryor provided insight into his 
 > subversive casting decision during an interview with Digital Spy€s 
 > David Opie. 
 > 
 > First broaching the topic after being met with praise from Opie for 
 > how well he was able to keep Curtis€ appearance a secret, the casting 
 > director explained, €Because it€s a brief but important moment, you 
 > can get an actor in and out quite quickly, with parts like that.€ 
 > 
 > €That was Russell€s idea, actually,€ Pryor added. €We had talked about 
 > trying to get Nathaniel in the show at some point and I think it€s a 
 > sort of rather cheeky, but fun interpretation of Isaac Newton. You 
 > know, it€s not a historical drama [Laughs]. Let€s just have some fun 
 > with it.€ 
 > 
 > €Nathaniel was very game,€ he further recalled. €He€s a fan of the 
 > show. Such a lovely guy, and he had a great time.€ 
 > 
 > From there, Opie then turned their discussion to how €there€s been 
 > backlash from so-called €fans€ of Doctor Who in regard to these 
 > particular castings, that they€re too €woke€, for want of a better 
 > word,€ subsequently asking the casting director, €You€ve engaged a bit 
 > with this discussion online, but I wondered if you had anything else 
 > to add on this response to castings such as these?€ 
 > 
 > In turn, Pryor asserted, €It€s sad that we€re in a time where people 
 > villainise minorities.€ 
 > 
 > €This sort of chatter, I€m very good at kind of tuning it out,€ he 
 > told his host. €And I€m also very, very happy to block people on 
 > Twitter. I don€t really have any time for bigotry at all.€ 
 > 
 > Proceeding to broaden his argument, Pryor continued, €It then becomes 
 > even more important to give people a voice and for people to be 
 > represented, especially for young people growing up who might be trans 
 > or from any minority. If they can see themselves on screen, then that 
 > can be a huge lifeline for some people. That can make them feel part 
 > of the world, which indeed they are.€ 
 > 
 > €Social media is a bit of a dangerous place because I think people get 
 > sucked into saying things that I don€t know that they truly believe?€ 
 > he questioned. €It just becomes a game for them. Unfortunately, real 
 > life isn€t a game, and I think it€s important to stand up for people 
 > who are marginalised.€ 
 > 
 > Pryor then declared, €Growing up as a gay man, I€m as aware as anybody 
 > else of how this stuff makes you feel when you see it. How that 
 > negativity can affect you. I don€t really think anyone should have to 
 > go through that.€ 
 > 
 > €It€s an important thing for me,€ he said. €It€s an important thing 
 > for Russell and the whole Doctor Who team.There are so many ways of 
 > telling a story and the more you can introduce other ideas and other 
 > kinds of people, the more exciting it is.€ 
 > 
 > Receiving subsequent praise from Opie regarding how the €show has 
 > always been forward-thinking and progressive in that way, so it€s 
 > really nice that in 2023, Doctor Who can embody that now more than 
 > ever,€ Pryor ultimately concluded, €It always has been a show about 
 > people €outside of the norm€. From day one, really. So, we€re just 
 > carrying that tradition on in a more modern way.€ 
  
 He sounds really gay. 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)