Getting Lin Trouble

So Lin-Manuel Miranda is taking some flak.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has apologised for a lack of Afro-Latino actors in the lead roles for his new film musical In The Heights.

And when your Latino actors aren't Afro enough, that's colourism apparently (or colorism, depending on your dictionary).

Now, from my point of view, the problem here isn't about the colour (or even the color). It's the apology.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is undoubtedly the man of the musical moment. Hamilton has made a ton of money on stage and screen. In The Heights probably won't repeat that kind of success but the fact that a movie musical is a major studio release is something of an achievement in itself. It's clear that the man is sitting somewhere near the top of the entertainment world at the moment.

So why is he apologising?

The apology follows an interview conducted by the journalist Felice León...

Who she?

...who describes herself as a "blacktina"...

As in Turner?

The interview on León's online show The Root saw her address the fact that most of the actors in the film are "light-skinned or white-passing".

Now I can understand that if you're the polite sort who doesn't want to cause a fuss, then you may wish to humour this kind of criticism with a few appreciative nods of feigned concern. But apologise?

Artists shouldn't be apologising for their art. They should be free to produce the work they want to produce. What the colour critics (or color critics) are demanding is that they, not the artists, get to dictate who does and doesn't get cast. 

And, if even guys like Lin-Manuel Miranda feel that they have to grovel and kowtow and amend their art, that's only going to make it harder for the thousands of others who have none of his influence or power.

It's not about the colour, however it's spelt (or spelled).