Isn’t acting pretending to be someone else?

The Guardian reports:

Several of the biggest theatres in the UK have pledged to only cast trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming actors in roles for characters with those identities, in a move industry figures have described as a tipping point.

The Royal Court, Oxford Playhouse, Contact theatre and the Royal Exchange in Manchester are among the supporters of the trans casting statement that commits them to “never cast, or endorse a production that casts, a cisgender person in a trans, non-binary or gender non-conforming role”.

Why stop there?

They should announce in future no straight actor can portray a gay character and to be equitable no gay actor can portray a straight character. Never mind half of Hollywood and Broadway might be out of a job 🙂

Actually the ban that is really needed is short actors playing tall characters. It was a travesty that they cast Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. They cast a 5’7″ inch actor as a 6’5″ character. This destroyed the film. Reacher’s massive height was an integral part of his character.