Interesting. Can't recall where I read that Rubinek did this role as a favor for someone and that he hated TV or wouldn't normally do TV. I must be conflating somethings.
David Rappaport in "The Most Toys"
- Thread starter Grant
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Interesting. Can't recall where I read that Rubinek did this role as a favor for someone and that he hated TV or wouldn't normally do TV. I must be conflating somethings.
What pound of flesh are you referring to? It's certainly not Data as Fajo clearly had no legal right to him. ...unless I've long misunderstood the phrase?
So you are going to complain about something being anti-Semitic, then 2 sentences later say stuff about how the actor wasn't "normal" sized and they should have been "clever" in the use of his" size".
Hypocrit much?
I'm totally going to cop to my accidentally using the word "normal" as being completely wrong and inappropriate. Of course everyone's size is normal. As a 5'4" man myself I should know that, but there is a thing called internalized self hate. I don't think using the wrong term without malice is the same thing at all as casting a jewish actor to do a stereotypical homicidally greedy jewish role complete with yarmulke. Some of this is Rubenik's performance, of which we don't know how much the director encouraged. A lot of it is costuming. I also don't think my criticism about using the actor's size is wrong either. We may not pathologize someone's size, but we can certainly admit they are the size they are compared to the rest of the cast and accommodate and use it as a strength instead of treating them like something they aren't and/or hiding it. Filmmakers use height and bulk all the time to great effect. Why wouldn't they do the same here?
Stereotypical?
Stereotypes persist because we keep them going.
I have no idea about stereotype of Jewish people being homicidal and greedy.
I have a brother that is greedy beyond belief, he's not Jewish.
I personally don't think anything about a hat being part of the costume for the actor. I had two male Jewish friends when I was in the Army they wore the exact same hat that I did. No other headwear.
Should all actors that are of Jewish extraction not wear headwear as part of their costumes?
I had no idea Jewish people were homicidal, is there a disproportionate number of Jewish people in prison for murder?
In addition I never knew the actor was Jewish. But in the other hand, I don't care one way or the other, I just want any actor to do a good job and be believable at the character they are portraying.
So, because you claim to not know a stereotype it doesn't exist? I have family that were murdered over those stereotypes. They're real. Look it up if you're interested.
Don't know what your point is here. Stereotypes aren't true. Your brother would be no more or less greedy for being a gentile.
Again, your ignorance of something doesn't make it irrelevant. Practicing Jewish men, especially when inside holy structures, wear a skullcap called a yarmulke. You can look that up too.
The headwear combined with the attitude and actions of the character evoked a stereotype. That would be the case no matter the religion/ethnicity of the actor.
Again, stereotypes are not true.
And if that character is an offensive stereotype you should know about it, no? Stereotypes are not believable. They trite, unoriginal, and, at worst, hurtful.
I know all of the stupid stereotypes.
I know about Jewish men wearing yarmulkes.
I thought that the episode was about a guy who was collecting one of a kind things so he could show off
to people about it. Probably so they could have a Data centric episode.
Since Data is one of a kind.
To me the episode wasn't about Jews.
Silly me.
Did you decide that the episode was being "stereotypical " because the guy playing the role is Jewish? Would you have view edit differently if he had been Buddhist?
Well, you clearly didn’t one message ago. Look, I knew you were arguing in bad faith from the beginning. I’m not going to entertain you any further. I have my life experience and I know what that performance and costume evokes for me.
Another pissing contest. This is becoming very tiresome here. PLEASE give it a rest.
All yarmulkes are caps, but not all caps are yarmulkes, so that's a silly comparison.
Plenty of things are loaded with symbolism. The Ferengi have always been problematic for the same reason (De Forrest Research repeatedly asked the show to change the name, in fact).
So the better question is why did they change Fajo's look so much when recasting? I realize they probably didn't have time to redo the makeup, and the original costume wouldn't fit, but they gave probably the most Jewish clothing accessory to a Jewish actor playing a part one could read as a Jewish stereotype. That was either tone deaf or deliberate.
I personally think the Fajo we ended up with lands in the same category as the Ligonians, and just as bad. YMMV.
Saul Rubinek owned the role of Fajo, and clearly enjoyed playing him. I'm going to hazard a guess that if Rubinek seriously thought Fajo was a stereotype, he would never have agreed to do the show.
Actors in Hollywood often play parts they are given because they take what they can get. If no one took a racially loaded acting job there would be no on-screen prisons full of Black men or Black muggers or Hispanic drug dealers and gang members and maids and maids and more maids or Middle Eastern terrorists, or Asian nerds or even White hill billies. Listen to any South Asian actor talk about their auditions and how directors bully them into more and more cartoonish accents. And that doesn't even get into how many offensive roles there are for women that women take – not always without complaint if you've ever seen a good twitter thread of female casting descriptions. TV and film is chock full of undebatable stereotypes.
Which is not the case with Rubinek. He didn't need the work, and the show as a favor.
Because they approached him with the full character description and costume and how they would direct him once he got on stage to do his old classmate a favor? Or that favor for a friend can't include a nice check? The story of Rubinek isn't even accurate with him said to "never do guest spots on television". IMDB has him in nearly 15 small TV roles before TNG.
Or maybe Rubinek is just one of those people who's cool with anything. That doesn't make it right either.
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And I thought that claim needed answering. Also, as someone in the creative field, I can tell you there is rarely ever "didn't need the work" unless you are some super A lister. And even then those A Listers still manage to take problematic or downright headscratching roles.
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Someone on youtube posted Fajo/Rappaport clips with his voice electronically lowered. I watched them without knowing and though, "Ugh, this is a pretty mediocre performance."
Then I saw the unaltered clips. The vocal modulation totally flattened Rappaport's performance and he was much better when it was just him.
That said, and no offense meant to the troubled, talented original actor and his tragic end, but I do prefer Rubinek, who added more deliciously creepy touches to the role and a few more unexpected/interesting line readings.
Then I saw the unaltered clips. The vocal modulation totally flattened Rappaport's performance and he was much better when it was just him.
That said, and no offense meant to the troubled, talented original actor and his tragic end, but I do prefer Rubinek, who added more deliciously creepy touches to the role and a few more unexpected/interesting line readings.
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