i love the fact that idiotic members of IMDB came out and called me a racist bigot, as they clearly did NOT read the last sentence of my original post. I AM A BROWN MALE (of Indian ancestry, well, my folks are from Guyana in SA), and have a WHITE GF. I was only asking why the casting unfolded the way it did because it seemed random. Usually, there's a reasoning or some sort of explanation as to why an interracial/interethnic couple get together (in movies). I liked the movie because there wasn't an explanation, it was just normal. BUT, i thought that there was an explanation for it that was unknown to me, which is why I asked the question.
chea

personally, i think naveen andrews is exceptionally handsome. and his british accent is cute

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Hmm, I was wondering why they cast a white girl

0P=Ignorant DUMB ASS

i thought they had pretty good chemistry.
in terms of why was he cast? well there are probably several reasonsi mean, rest assured, nothing is done by accident in a film.
to me i think it makes the film a more authentic view of new york city which is, after all, a melting pot of different cultures. erika bain's radio program is all about experiencing the beauty of new york city and what makes it such a unique and wonderful place, unlike any other. i think her relationship is a reflection of that. to me, it just made sensethe casting and everything else.
well and also naveen andrews is a fantastic actor and extremely easy on the eyes.
"It would seem that we're through with the past, but it's not through with us."

Her boyfriend went to Brown?
I'm happiestin the saddle.

They just looked weird together on camera. No chemistry I thought.
In Love With Alan Rickman

Why not? If you live in NYC, you see it all the time. In 2008 it shouldn't be a issue. The fact that you mentioned it says a lot.

"I think the bigger issue here, isn't, "Why would they cast a non-white actor" but, "Why would they cast someone who clearly has no chemistry at all with Jodie Foster?" Naveen Andrews might be a good actor, I don't know. I'm not familiar with his body of work.
Race aside, they did not make a believable couple. They made an awkward-to-watch couple".
Utterly agreed. I'm not familiar with his body of work either, but I don't think he was a good choice to play Jodie's boyfriend. He looked like he doesn't take showers too often and acted rather bland, and I'm afraid I couldn't feel sorry for the character once he was gone.
Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop

I think the bigger issue here, isn't, "Why would they cast a non-white actor" but, "Why would they cast someone who clearly has no chemistry at all with Jodie Foster?" Naveen Andrews might be a good actor, I don't know. I'm not familiar with his body of work.
Race aside, they did not make a believable couple. They made an awkward-to-watch couple.

• Especially since she
  did
  appear to have a good on-screen rapport with Terrence Howard
  It's made from bits of real panther, so you know it's good

I think the bigger issue here, isn't, "Why would they cast a non-white actor" but, "Why would they cast someone who clearly has no chemistry at all with Jodie Foster?" Naveen Andrews might be a good actor, I don't know. I'm not familiar with his body of work.
Race aside, they did not make a believable couple. They made an awkward-to-watch couple.
"How much time do we have?"

Vashti, I appreciate the kind words. I'm always happy to see civility extended and reciprocated on these boards, because, frankly, there's way too much of the opposite.

Johndeckbose and Bilko-1 give thoughtful answers to a genuine question that most respondents shrugged off with derision.
None of the casting was accidental. Hollywood (especially for big-budget/big-name movies) NEVER does anything accidentally. So the original poster (IMO), was asking a question alluding to the meaning of the very careful and deliberate casting choices.
And when you are this careful and deliberate in making some choices then why are you? The reasons for -those- choices are as meaningful as the reasons for the other choices that could have been madebut most are pretending they are not.
That's the essence of having a real and productive discussion about race/gender. And I, for one, appreciate the considered and courteously-stated questions and responses. I think JohnDB nailed it pretty closely. I think the discussion could be extended even further, but I certainly wouldn't given the tone of this board. But thanks, you three!

"this could be the stupidest post I've ever read."
You clearly don't read many posts on IMDB!
I think that this is an interesting question, as it is quite unusual to have a relationship of mixed races in a mainstream Hollywood movie. Those posts that suggest that it is related to the fact that non-whites make up the majority of those that are gunned down in the film could be correct. On the other hand it could be completely random. New York is certainly a "melting pot" and I think that the film reflected this very well. I would have thought that it would be important to resist any racist overtones that may appear and I think that this was handled admirably. The trick is to do it an an unselfconscious way and some may argue that this was not achieved. I still maintain that this was a worthwhile post and would question the intelligence of the poster who ranked it as stupid.

I agree. If you go out into the real world, you see plenty of couples from all walks of life.
The Devine Genealogy Goddess!

this could be the stupidest post I've ever read.

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Very simple. To show that Foster's character is not a racist.
If there was anything that pointed to that notion, it would make her character unsympathetic, as she guns down, mostly, people of color.
And while this seems simplistic, let me just relate a Hollywood casting anecdote. When Steve Martin wanted to do a remake of "Cyrano de Bergerac" (which became "Roxanne"), Hollywood types were concerned that Darryl Hannah couldn't play the part of a brainy scientist type.
The solution, they said, was to have her wear glasses.
In the philosophy of the Hollywood studio, glasses were all that was necessary to make a previously ditzy actress seem cerebral.
So, giving Jodie Foster a boyfriend "of color" assuaged all concerns that her character might be seen as racist.

When did white women dating men of color became an anomaly? How exactly is it "weird" to see this on screen? It sounds like the poster meant to say it's not unusual to see a white woman with a black man, but it is unusual to see a white woman with an Indian man. Who knows? But if the thread starter is "brown", how was this movie pairing a shock?
Truth is the weapon we fear the most.

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Because he is
hot
.
I want one of my own.

Brilliantly put.

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