We’ve said it before, and we’ll reiterate it once more, if you’re not following Paul Schrader on Facebook, then why bother with social media in the first place? The iconic filmmaker loves his Facebook account, and regularly posts about current events and other things. And more times than not, his takes are the very definition of “hot.” So, you better believe people perked up and took notice when Schrader talked about Jordan Peele’s recent comments about white male leads.
For those that missed the big news, Peele recently spoke at an event and said that he didn’t see himself working with a white male lead in the future. He said, “I don’t see myself casting a white dude as the lead in my movie. Not that I don’t like white dudes, but I’ve seen that movie.”
Needless to say, given that it’s 2019 and every word a famous person says gets analyzed, especially if race is involved, the opinions about Peele’s statements were polarized. Well, Schrader decided to chime in and give his thoughts on the matter, and while the sentiment is there, his word choice is a bit…lacking.
The filmmaker wrote, “This makes sense. I’ve written or directed films with a black lead, an oriental lead, a female lead but my natural identification is with a certain type of white male. Peele at some point will find himself directing a white lead, not because of commerce but simply because that’s how art works.”
Of course, Schrader is an older gentleman and not aware that the term “oriental” is deemed as not appropriate. At least, let’s hope so. But otherwise, the filmmaker understands and empathizes with Peele, although he thinks that eventually, the “Get Out” filmmaker will have to eat those words.
We’ll just have to wait and see if Peele ends up regretting those words and uses a white male lead in the future. At this point, it appears the filmmaker is more than happy to spend his time producing films and creating projects that focus on whatever he wants. And right now, what he wants is to use Black leads. So, who knows?