Success is a strange thing.
Disney’s Aladdin remake made over a billion dollars at the box office, but its star is still having a hard time getting starring roles. Mena Massoud told the Daily Beast, “I’m kind of tired of staying quiet about it. I want people to know that it’s not always dandelions and roses when you’re doing something like Aladdin. ‘He must have made millions. He must be getting all these offers.’ It’s none of those things. I haven’t had a single audition since Aladdin came out.” Will Smith responded to his co-star’s comments via an interview with PEOPLE, stating, “The thing about this business, that is not unlike life, it’s hard by design. It’s like the universe, God, whatever you believe, designed it to be hard. So, if you’re having a hard time it’s because you’re supposed to.”
Things got worse on Friday when it was announced that Aladdin’s only white character, Prince Anders, played by Billy Magnussen, was getting his own spinoff. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, Magnusson’s character, a hilariously idiotic prince who tries to marry Jasmine but fails, will be getting his own Disney+ show. That news made the internet go crazy, with angry fans questioning the racial divide in Hollywood. Check out the tweets below. What’s your take on this? Do you believe it has anything to do with race as the internet suggests?
Aladdin makes a billion and they somehow find a way to give a white guy a spinoff. pic.twitter.com/wjvdyTh5fH
— Ami (@Amic_8197) December 6, 2019
Mena Massoud: "I starred in the live-action version of ALADDIN, which made over a billion dollars at the box-office, and I can't even get callbacks for auditions. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is?"
Disney: https://t.co/tFoXAO8MQC
— hellresidentNY (@hellresidentNY) December 6, 2019
Actual Aladdin can't get an audition but the token white dude gets his own series?
Haha fuck you, Hollywood. You're racist. https://t.co/sCIGI8UWd1
— Hanna Ines Flint (@HannaFlint) December 6, 2019
I didn’t like Aladdin remake. I don’t even like Mena tbh.
But the fact that an unnecessary white character, that played no significant role in the Aladdin movie is getting a spin off, whilst Mena is jobless is telling. pic.twitter.com/LtTsGs7UNv
— Keshav Kant (@MxKantEven) December 6, 2019
Very cool that Disney’s creating a show for the sole white character in the movie while the lead of a major budget film produced by a billion dollar company can’t even get work because of stereotypinghttps://t.co/CsfufvsasY
— Andrew (@acrutch01) December 6, 2019
There’s literally two animated Aladdin sequels and a whole series that could be adapted but nah let’s give a show to the only white guy https://t.co/oU04Y1zA9X
— EZ🎄☃️❄️ (@alwayspizzatime) December 6, 2019
