Seth Rogen was under fire yesterday when a light-skinned African-American boy was seen in dark brown makeup on the set of a film Rogen is producing called Good Boys. The child is reportedly a stand-in for Keith L. Williams, the 11-year-old star of the movie. However, with the unidentified stand-in's face being made several shades darker, many were identifying another case of blackface in Hollywood. And it doesn't help his darkened face isn't the same shade as Williams' face, either.
Now, Rogen is apologizing for the incident and promised to never let it happen again.
"I should start by saying this shouldn't have happened, and I'm terribly sorry it did," reads Rogen's statement to IndieWire. "I won't give excuses for why it happened. I’ll just say that as soon I was made aware of it, I ensured we put an end to it—and I give my word that on any project my team and I are involved in, we will take every precaution to make sure something similar does not take place again. I’m engaging in conversations to make sure I find the best way to do that. It's on me to be proactive. Reacting isn't enough."
In addition to the darkened face, the stand-in was also reportedly placed in an afro wig and a fat suit. But a source told TMZ, who broke the story, that it's not "not uncommon for lighting purposes to match actors' skin tones" and claimed this isn't "blackface." However, a cinematographer told IndieWire this situation is not the norm.
"In regards to makeup, I’ve seen wigs used and powder to take down shine, but maybe not as extreme as what is being suggested here," the person said. "I personally would never ask for someone to be made up in a darker tone. You would just compensate for what you understand to be lighter or darker while lighting." Instead they would "cast a person with similar complexion and physical stature to the actors they are standing in for."
