Sarah Silverman discusses being typecast, Jewish representation in Hollywood
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Sarah Silverman has opened up about her frustrations with Jewish representation in Hollywood, arguing that Jewish actresses are often typecast and shut out of non-stereotypical roles.
In an interview on The Howard Stern Show Tuesday, Silverman noted that "Jewy" actresses typically play a narrow range of roles: "The parts I get to play, you're either a sassy friend of the main character who's just in charge of exposition… or you're this c---y girlfriend before the guy realizes what love really can be, or you're that guy's sleazy book agent, or scumbag executive," she said.
Silverman added that non-Jewish actors are often cast as Jewish characters who are more sympathetic or heroic, citing roles like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "If there is a role that's a Jewish woman… but she is courageous, or she deserves love, or is altruistic in any way, she's played by a non-Jew," Silverman said. "They finally make RBG the movie, and it's a British woman, Felicity Jones. Mrs. Maisel [played by Rachel Brosnahan] — God bless her, she's brilliant — not Jewish."
While adding that "Actors are actors, and they should play all different parts, 100 percent," Silverman continued, "It's like when they cast someone who has two arms as a person with one arm, and [use] CGI. And then the one-armed actor is like, 'Are you f---ing serious? Can I even get an audition?'"
She also weighed in on the common practice of actors changing their names: "Winona Ryder, if she kept her name Winona Horowitz, you think she would have starred in The Age of Innocence? No f---ing way!"
"I'm not saying nobody feels bad for us, but people really roll their eyes at Jews pointing out anti-Semitism at all, because they're just over it," the comedian added. "They saw the Holocaust movies, [they're] like, 'Next.'"
Silverman will next appear alongside Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy Marry Me, which was recently pushed to a summer 2021 release date.
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