JESSICA ALBA, the star of two Fantastic Four films, has spoken publicly about the lack of diversity in representation for women of colour when she first arrived in Hollywood.
In an interview with Glamour UK, the Latina actress stated that Marvel continues to favour Caucasian actors and characters above others in its films.
Although Alba acknowledges that there has been a push for diversity “in recent years”, the entertainment industry still has a long way to go. She also mentioned that the enhancement is more of a commercial endeavour, implying that those in control recognised that a more diversified cast resulted in more earnings.
She said: “Even if you look at the Marvel movies, that’s the biggest driver of fantasy and what’s happening right now in entertainment, because it’s sort of the family thing – it’s still quite Caucasian.”
She also said that she was one of the few actresses back in the day before Marvel was sold to Disney.
Variety’s tweet regarding Alba’s thoughts on diversity elicited a response from actress Jameela Jamil. She claims that Marvel is “far ahead of everyone else” in terms of diversity, and that this has improved dramatically over the last decade.
She also cited films such as Black Panther, Ms Marvel, Shang Chi and the Ten Rings, and the TV series She Hulk – in which Jamil herself stars as the supervillain Titania – as examples.
Marvel President Kevin Feige presented the Marvel Cinematic Universe's forthcoming Phase 4, Phase 5, and Phase 6 plans at the San Diego Comic-Con. Marvel Studios revealed the release dates for Captain America 4, two new Avengers flicks, and trailers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and She-Hulk.
