Supporting The Little People of America's complaint about Rupert Sanders' decision to cast normal-sized actors as the dwarfs, Davis claims that the casting is 'not acceptable.'
- Jun 8, 2012
AceShowbiz - Though it has successfully claimed victory on North American box office, "Snow White and the Huntsman" upset some parties. It was The Little People of America, a nonprofit organization, which was unhappy with the casting of the dwarfs in the Kristen Stewart-starring movie.
The organization dissed the movie for casting normal-sized actors such as Ian McShane and Nick Frost to portray the fairytale's fabled dwarfs. Among those who were disappointed by the casting was "Life's Too Short" star Warwick Davis, who is also a best friend to Ricky Gervais.
To E! News, Davis said, "Considering the vast experience of many short actors working in the film industry today, I think it inexcusable that in casting for 'Snow White and the Huntsman', producers did not utilize this pool of talent."
"My colleague Peter Dinklage won an Emmy for his performance in 'Game of Thrones', proving that short actors need roles that will not only challenge them, but allow them to express themselves as actors in their own right," he added. "It is not acceptable to 'black up' as a white actor, so why should it be acceptable to 'shrink' an actor to play a dwarf?"
Previously, the LPOA issued a statement, complaining about the filmmaker's decision to make normal-sized actors look smaller via special effects in their portrayal as the eight dwarfs. LPOA's rep Gary Arnold said, "Little People of America supports the equality of opportunity for the employment of little people in all industries."
"Of course, this includes the entertainment industry, which we believe should cast little people in the full breadth of possible roles," he stated. "This means both casting people with dwarfism as characters that were specifically written to be played by little people and other roles that would be open to average height people and people of short stature."
Representatives for Universal Studios have yet to release a statement regarding the issue. Unlike in Sanders' "Snow White and the Huntsman", the dwarfs depicters in rival movie Tarsem Singh's "Mirror Mirror" were all portrayed by real little people.
