Topic: Casting Call

1 chapters across the catalog

17: Shaft Stache
32:40 - 36:14

17: Shaft Stache

The White Gaze, Hollywood Gatekeeping and Casting Calls

Lena Waithe discusses protecting her work from the "white gaze" and ensuring the story remains authentic to the black community. However, the hosts point to leaked casting calls and script descriptions—such as comparing a character to "Chicken George"—as evidence that the film still caters to white-defined tropes. They characterize Waithe as a gatekeeper who provides a version of the black experience palatable to white-owned studios.