Mads Mikkelsen Laughs Off Diversity Criticism, Raises Questions About Hollywood

If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m pleased to show you Mads Mikkelsen’s hilarious reaction to a reporter trying to find out how he and Nikolaj Arcel would solve the “diversity issue” in their upcoming film The Promised Land which is set in Denmark…in the year 1755.

Already, you can see the stupidity forming.

The reporter brought up the new rules for diversity that the Academy has set forth, which all films must adhere to in order to be eligible for an Oscar. Mikkelsen makes the comment, “from the start”, before the reporter has finished the question. This shows that Mikkelsen knew the dumb question would come up.

Mikkelsen, while being polite, is hostile towards the reporter. Arcel then jumps in and explains that the plotline is about a girl who is of color, but this is actually a film that is about the Nordic people of long ago.

The reporter wanted to know if the director and actor were concerned that their film was lacking in diversity, which would prevent them from receiving an Oscar. Arcel had assured him that at least one of the characters was not white.

This raises a question. Why is Hollywood obsessed with racially charged entertainment? These films are for whom?

My friend Ian K, aka Comix Division, released a video that analyzed this clip. He said something I believe really gets to the heart of the matter.

It’s always the same question: “Who is it made for?” He begins.

He says, “Not for the audience.” It’s for the Hollywood peers or critics who want to show off their virtue. The audience is a speed bump that gets in the way of making money.

He says that awards such as the Oscars are no longer relevant. It’s not about art anymore, but about propaganda that gets you back pats and handshakes at Hollywood parties as well as good press from media writers with access.

It is not important what you enjoy or find entertaining. According to them, your job is being preached to, and if that’s not what you like, then it is to use you as an example of how the world should be preached to more.

There are more intelligent people than the Academy in Hollywood.

Adrian Paul, the actor who played Duncan Macleod in The Highlander TV Series, said this about Hollywood’s obsession with diversity.

He said, “It will always be the same whenever a new movement is launched and it’s very popular…everyone wants to jump on board.”

The characters in films must be written to reflect the person or character that they are. He continued, “A diverse type of film should be written to suit that.” It can’t just be a Caucasian, white guy aged 45 and suddenly an Asian, aged 62, is cast in that role because it meets the diversity criteria.

It’s the obsession with diversity that ruins a story because it removes you from the story when someone is there who shouldn’t be. You won’t likely find an African in Denmark during the 1700s, and if there is one you have just found a unicorn.

Let’s talk about architecture instead of people to better illustrate Hollywood’s bizarre demands.

Imagine that you are watching a movie set in feudal Japan with the directors and producers. You can see that the buildings are clearly Japanese, but every so often you’ll notice architecture from another country. In the background, you can see Egyptian pyramids and German homes dating back to the 1940s. One shot shows the Empire State Building. A New York hotdog cart appears in the middle of a street photo.

Naturally, you’d have questions about their journey. When you ask the producer or director what movie you are watching, they look at you as if you’ve just passed gas.

They say, “It’s about samurai,” with a slight hint of disgust.

When you point out that the Empire State Building did not exist in feudal Japan, and that the Egyptian Pyramids are located in Egypt, people call you an architect purist. The reporters complain about the negative impact of architectural puritanism on today’s society. Next thing you know, there are articles that paint people who point to architectural inconsistencies as evil.

The diversity rules in Hollywood sound like something out of a Mony Python sketch.