In recent years, Hollywood has come under fire for its lack of diversity – both behind the camera and in front of it. And while studios have been making strides, some might feel it’s not enough. Jessica Alba expressed her frustrations in a recent interview with Glamour UK, noting that not much has changed since her time in the Fantastic Four films. The actress and Honest Company owner specifically called out the Marvel films, noting that they are still majorly Caucasian. Alba does mention that although the superhero genre has started to become more inclusive, it has quite a ways to go still.
“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,” the actress said. “I would say I was one of the few back in the day… And it was before Marvel was sold to Disney, but it’s still quite more of the same.”
She continued by explaining that she hoped that younger people would be able to see themselves in the world on screen and in the stories we consume. “I just think more for the younger people who are coming up, who are going to be our future leaders, it’s important for them to see the world on screen, or in stories, in the dreams that we create as entertainers; it reflects the world that they’re in.”
In recent years, Marvel Studios has made it a point to be more inclusive both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras. Recently, the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe saw the debut of its first Muslim superhero thanks to Ms. Marvel, its first Asian superhero with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, as well as the introduction of two deaf heroes with Eternals and Hawkeye. Of course, as Alba notes, there is always room for improvement, and one can only hope studios continue to include more diversity in future projects.
Source: Glamour UK via Variety
