‘Nontraditional’ Point Missed by Heston

Charlton Heston has my undying gratitude for enabling Orson Welles to direct “Touch of Evil.” And I appreciated reading his Counterpunch piece about the film (“ ‘Touch of Evil’ Needed Final Touch of Welles,” Counterpunch, Feb. 9).

But once again, Heston completely misrepresents a serious issue by describing his utterly unconvincing lead performance as a Mexican police detective in the film as an example of “nontraditional casting.”

Actors’ Equity defines nontraditional casting as “the casting of ethnic, minority and female actors in roles where race, ethnicity or sex is not germane.” Actors’ unions have endorsed the concept of nontraditional casting to encourage the employment of more nonwhite and female actors in an industry that still offers disproportionately more opportunities to white men, despite considerable gains since the beginning of the decade.

To the contrary, Heston’s star turn in “Touch of Evil” is an example of traditional casting.

For centuries, white actors have darkened themselves to play the rare nonwhite lead roles in the Western spotlight. By contrast, recognizably nonwhite thespians have only recently been considered for lead parts originally written as Caucasian. (A “minority” actor passing for white, such as Rita Hayworth or Keanu Reeves, is not nontraditional casting.)

What’s more, Hollywood continues to cast white actors in Latin leads in such recent films as “The House of the Spirits,” “Death and the Maiden,” “The Perez Family” and “Evita” (the two most notable exceptions, “Mi Familia” and “Selena,” were both directed by Gregory Nava, a Latino).

Heston may sincerely believe in a colorblind world, where up-and-coming young minority actors face absolutely no racial obstacles to their advancement in the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, this world is not yet a reality. Worse, Heston’s refusal to acknowledge this fact and his criticism of past efforts to equalize opportunities for minority actors (particularly in 1990’s “Miss Saigon” casting controversy), will only help to delay the arrival of such a colorblind world even more.

ROBERT PAYNE

Studio City

I hold Heston in great esteem as an actor. But when he says he has played the roles of Scots, Brits and Irishmen, etc., does he realize that those groups are basically Anglo?

Latino actors as well as other minority actors have had a difficult time in obtaining roles that call for their own ethnic background, from Charlie Chan to Cochise. I am a Mexican. Although I am not an actor, should I be one, I would consider it a bit bizarre that I be cast in the role of an Anglo. As far as the term “nontraditional casting,” a more fitting term might be “ethnic nepotism.”

RUBEN R. MARTINEZ

Silver Lake