So Who Gets to Play Othello?

by Robert Archerd, February 18, 2022

According to reports at the time of Socrates’ trial for impiety (failing to recognize the gods of Athens) and for corrupting young minds (you know, encouraging them to think for themselves), Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” This was said in 399 BC, and should still work for us today. And a similar example of “words to live by” might be, “Unexamined assumptions are not worth clinging to.” Where am I going with this? Read on.

Fairly recently, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) showed the 1965 film Othello, starring Laurence Olivier. For most of the past half-century, people in general had no objection to having Olivier in the title role. He was, after all, a famous Shakespearean actor, and Othello is, after all, a famous play by William Shakespeare.

But in recent years, especially when the film is shown again on platforms such as TCM, many now object. Why? The reason commonly given is that Othello is Black, Olivier is not, and that only a Black man should be doing the portrayal. Again, why? Well, there’s the cited need for racial equity, as well as accuracy.

Hm. As a rule of thumb, I tend to agree, especially in portrayals of current times, in which race is a genuine issue and not a mere happenstance (as, for the most part, it is with Othello). Nevertheless, the whole Othello kerfuffle does raise serious questions. And at least one serious consideration: the need for us all to look past whatever our initial, gut-level reaction is, and to truly examine…