Disney Bounces Oscar-Nominated Actor Because He’s White: Report

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Wednesday’s announcement of the casting for Disney-Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four” lends credence to an insider report from months ago that made some relatively damning claims.

The report, penned by award-winning Hollywood insider and Los Angeles Magazine contributor Jeff Sneider in November 2023, accurately predicted the casting of the four titular characters months ahead of time.

In addition, the report claimed that actor Jake Gyllenhaal — an acclaimed actor who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 2005 — was passed over because of the color of his skin.

Specifically, Gyllenhaal was up for the role of Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, the leader of the Fantastic Four.

Per Sneider’s report, Gyllenhaal was passed over for two reasons.

One, because of the actors asking price — Disney-Marvel was looking to cut costs by hiring cheaper actors, and two, because the film would be “way too white” if Gyllenhaal was cast.

Sneider attributes the quote to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who reportedly thought diversifying the cast by giving the role of Richards to Chilean-bron actor Pedro Pascal would be the way to go.

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