Poetry News

#RumiWasntWhite: Voice of America Expresses Outrage Over Leonardo DiCaprio's Possible Role as Rumi

Originally Published: July 05, 2016

Reeling from the rumor mill of a film industry in crisis, Voice of America reports collective outrage across Twitter after Oscar-winning screenwriter David Franzoni and producer Stephen Joel voiced their intention to cast Leonardo DiCaprio as the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi, and Robert Downey Jr. as Rumi's friend and spiritual mentor Shams-i-Tabrizi. This comes after a tumultuous Oscar season, riddled with criticism over a lack of diversity in movie casts, Oscar winners, and nominees—all of which gave birth to social media hashtag #OscarsSoWhite, which has since given birth to the more specifically targeted hashtag #RumiWasntWhite. More:

It was only four months ago that the U.S. film industry was slammed for snubbing actors of color by casting white actors to play the part of Asians, Hispanics, or Native Americans, and ignoring great performances by minorities when the nominees for this year's Oscars were announced. But Hollywood, say critics across the Middle East, doesn't appear to have gotten the message.

Oscar-winning screenwriter David Franzoni and producer Stephen Joel Brown are working on a film about Jalaluddin al-Rumi, the 13th Century theologian, poet and mystic beloved to Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and Jews across the globe.

The filmmakers say one of their motives in making the film is to challenge stereotypes about Muslims. But the actors they have in mind to play the leading roles are Leonardo di Caprio as Rumi—or Maulana, as he is known in Iran and Afghanistan—and Robert Downey Jr. as Shams-i-Tabrizi, Rumi's close friend and spiritual mentor.

That revelation sparked outrage across the world, especially in Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan, where Rumi is revered as a national hero, and folks vented their frustration on Twitter using the hashtag #RumiWasntWhite.

Writing in gal-dem, an online magazine that speaks for women of color, Paniz Khosroshahy challenged the producer to explain why he favors casting the two white men in the film.

"Los Angeles is the capital of the Iranian diaspora. So how come, Mr. Brown, there are always enough South Asian and Middle Eastern men to cast as the savage Persians in 300, but somehow only Jake Gyllenhaal available to act in Prince of Persia?"