Story by Rachel Leishman • Yesterday -
The Mary Sue
First of all, people who are racist and sexist but also like The Last of Us are … well … weird. Second, it still isn’t surprising that the sea of “fans” (how are you a fan of something you clearly didn’t understand and learned nothing from?) are being gross about the HBO adaptation and its cast—mainly because it’s not as “white” as they want it to be.
Pedro Pascal carrying Nico Parker in the trailer for 'The Last of Us'
First of all, people who are racist and sexist but also like The Last of Us are … well … weird. Second, it still isn’t surprising that the sea of “fans” (how are you a fan of something you clearly didn’t understand and learned nothing from?) are being gross about the HBO adaptation and its cast—mainly because it’s not as “white” as they want it to be.
Pedro Pascal carrying Nico Parker in the trailer for 'The Last of Us'
Recently, new posters were released for the HBO series that featured characters like Nico Parker’s Sarah front and center. Their release has already ushered in gross commentary on sites like Reddit.
Mainly, these “fans” are mad that Sarah is not a white girl with short blonde hair in a bad outfit. Any kind of logic will get lost in their absolutely bullsh*t explanations as to why Parker isn’t fit for a role that they haven’t yet seen on screen.
“And then they ask why nobody’s watching. Their focus is not on storytelling,” reads one representative comment, simply because Nico Parker is not a white blonde girl.
Again, I reiterate: The show is not out yet. Their anger isn’t coming from a performance but rather that a young and talented Black actress is taking a role they think belongs to someone else. It’s all a personal bias and hatred that is leading this conversation. If these people actually watched Parker’s work, they’d know that she’s incredible and a perfect choice for Sarah, a character you instantly have to care about because we don’t get much time with her.
What their “upset” boils down to is their own racism and they’re projecting it onto their love of a game that they clearly don’t understand!
You’re just racist!
There is absolutely no reason why people should be upset over Parker’s casting unless it is for a racist reason. That’s the only explanation. Truly. If you’re mad that Nico Parker is Sarah because it’s not what you envisioned, well get over it. There is no reason for you to not like her. You’ve not seen an episode and now, going into the show, whatever criticism you might have is lost because you let your racism lead the charge and take over.
Parker is very talented and her casting was one that I was very excited about. I think she’ll do a great job opposite Pedro Pascal’s Joel (which the racists are also angry about). But it is sad how predictable it is with genre material. The minute that an actor of color is cast in something that might not have been a character of color originally, the racists come out yelling about how “Hollywood” is “ruining” the game they like.
They’re not ruining anything. It’s called an adaptation. Meaning that it will change and sometimes—often—for the better. I think Parker is fantastic in everything she’s done and at the end of the day, a bunch of angry manbabies are logging online and being racist toward an 18-year-old woman.
The reasoning for their racist hatred is also hiding behind an argument that “Ellie reminds Joel of Sarah but this can’t be the case now,” which is a load of bullocks. The idea is that Joel’s need to protect Ellie and bring her to safety is a reminder of where he failed his own daughter. It’s why Joel’s relationship with Ellie takes a while to grow into the father/daughter dynamic we see later in the game and in The Last of Us: Part II.
But Ellie in the game does not look like Sarah. They’re just both white. So Bella Ramsey doesn’t have to look like Nico Parker in order for the dynamic to work. Those insisting otherwise are just being racist and trying to be the spokesperson for character arcs without actually knowing what they’re talking about.
The Last of Us adaptation has shown us nothing but love for the game it is based on and I can’t wait to see what Nico Parker brings to the role. If the racists want to be mad, they can just not watch the show.
(image: HBO)
Mainly, these “fans” are mad that Sarah is not a white girl with short blonde hair in a bad outfit. Any kind of logic will get lost in their absolutely bullsh*t explanations as to why Parker isn’t fit for a role that they haven’t yet seen on screen.
“And then they ask why nobody’s watching. Their focus is not on storytelling,” reads one representative comment, simply because Nico Parker is not a white blonde girl.
Again, I reiterate: The show is not out yet. Their anger isn’t coming from a performance but rather that a young and talented Black actress is taking a role they think belongs to someone else. It’s all a personal bias and hatred that is leading this conversation. If these people actually watched Parker’s work, they’d know that she’s incredible and a perfect choice for Sarah, a character you instantly have to care about because we don’t get much time with her.
What their “upset” boils down to is their own racism and they’re projecting it onto their love of a game that they clearly don’t understand!
You’re just racist!
There is absolutely no reason why people should be upset over Parker’s casting unless it is for a racist reason. That’s the only explanation. Truly. If you’re mad that Nico Parker is Sarah because it’s not what you envisioned, well get over it. There is no reason for you to not like her. You’ve not seen an episode and now, going into the show, whatever criticism you might have is lost because you let your racism lead the charge and take over.
Parker is very talented and her casting was one that I was very excited about. I think she’ll do a great job opposite Pedro Pascal’s Joel (which the racists are also angry about). But it is sad how predictable it is with genre material. The minute that an actor of color is cast in something that might not have been a character of color originally, the racists come out yelling about how “Hollywood” is “ruining” the game they like.
They’re not ruining anything. It’s called an adaptation. Meaning that it will change and sometimes—often—for the better. I think Parker is fantastic in everything she’s done and at the end of the day, a bunch of angry manbabies are logging online and being racist toward an 18-year-old woman.
The reasoning for their racist hatred is also hiding behind an argument that “Ellie reminds Joel of Sarah but this can’t be the case now,” which is a load of bullocks. The idea is that Joel’s need to protect Ellie and bring her to safety is a reminder of where he failed his own daughter. It’s why Joel’s relationship with Ellie takes a while to grow into the father/daughter dynamic we see later in the game and in The Last of Us: Part II.
But Ellie in the game does not look like Sarah. They’re just both white. So Bella Ramsey doesn’t have to look like Nico Parker in order for the dynamic to work. Those insisting otherwise are just being racist and trying to be the spokesperson for character arcs without actually knowing what they’re talking about.
The Last of Us adaptation has shown us nothing but love for the game it is based on and I can’t wait to see what Nico Parker brings to the role. If the racists want to be mad, they can just not watch the show.
(image: HBO)
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