Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Study: Middle Eastern Actors Ignored, Stereotyped by TV
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
September 11, 2018

Share

LOS ANGELES — Actors and characters of Middle Eastern and North African descent are either ignored by TV or stereotyped, according to a new study.

When Middle Eastern characters do appear, 78 percent are tyrants or trained terrorists, agents or soldiers.
The few such actors who get work are largely confined to playing tyrants and terrorists, said the university-funded study released Monday.
One percent of regularly seen TV series actors have roots in countries including Egypt, Turkey and Israel. But estimates show about 3 percent of the U.S. population, 10 million people, are from the region, said the study’s lead author, Biola University associate professor Nancy Wang Yuen.
Researchers who examined 242 scripted prime-time series on broadcast, cable and streaming during the 2015-16 season found that between 90 percent and 97 percent had no characters of Middle Eastern or North African ethnicity.
When those characters do appear, 78 percent are tyrants or trained terrorists, agents or soldiers, the study said. Most speak with obvious foreign accents.
Ninety percent of shows with such characters feature just one — with the now-ended “Tyrant,” a drama set in the Middle East, among the exceptions.

The Rise of Anti-Muslim Sentiment

The study warned that such depictions can contribute to the rise of anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant sentiment in American society.

“His ethnicity doesn’t define the role, and he gets to be a full person aside from that, and in fact because of that.” — Turkish-American actor Ennis Esmer in regard to his character
Three instances were described as “exemplary” in the report: Iranian-American actress Necar Zadegan’s portrayal of an attorney on Bravo’s “Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce,” the cyber-security engineer played by Egyptian-American (and Emmy-winning) actor Rami Malek on “Mr. Robot” and a tennis pro on Amazon’s “Red Oaks” played by Turkish-American actor Ennis Esmer.
“His ethnicity doesn’t define the role, and he gets to be a full person aside from that, and in fact because of that,” Esmer said of his character in a statement.
The entertainment industry as a whole must seek change, the study said. It recommended steps including the hiring and mentoring of Middle East and North African actors, directors, executives and others.
The study cited the work of actress Azita Ghanizada, who founded an advocacy coalition that successfully lobbied Hollywood guilds to include Middle East and North African performers in casting data reports.
The study received funding from schools including Biola University in La Mirada, California; California State University Fullerton; and San Jose State University, along with CBS Entertainment Diversity.

DON'T MISS

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

DON'T MISS

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

DON'T MISS

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

DON'T MISS

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

DON'T MISS

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

DON'T MISS

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

DON'T MISS

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

DON'T MISS

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

UP NEXT

The ‘Six’ Wives of King Henry VIII Sing Their Hearts Out in Fresno

UP NEXT

Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman Star With an Intense Approach, Dies at 65

UP NEXT

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

UP NEXT

Gronk-a-Mania Set to Run Wild Over WrestleMania Weekend

UP NEXT

Head of Amazon’s TV and Film Steps Down

UP NEXT

Prosecutor Seeks 18-Month Suspended Sentence for Depardieu if Convicted of Sexual Assault

UP NEXT

Plant-Based Eating in Middle Age Linked to Healthier Senior Years

UP NEXT

Woman Accuses Actor Gérard Depardieu of Sexual Assault on Film Set

UP NEXT

Topgolf Coming to the Central Valley? Chukchansi Gold to Open First Swing Suite

UP NEXT

‘Juntos’ Tour Brings Regional Mexican Superstars to Fresno This Summer

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

2 hours ago

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

3 hours ago

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

3 hours ago

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

4 hours ago

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

4 hours ago

President Trump’s Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point

5 hours ago

Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal

5 hours ago

As Dem Candidates for Governor Increase, They Wait for Harris to Decide

5 hours ago

No More Calling ‘Shotgun?’ CA Could Ban Teens From Riding in Front Seat

5 hours ago

Protests Planned All Over the World Aimed at Donald Trump and Elon Musk

5 hours ago

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico reported new measles cases this week, with the outbreak expanding for the first time into central Texas. Alre...

6 minutes ago

6 minutes ago

Measles Spreads to Central Texas; 5 States Have Active Outbreaks

12 minutes ago

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

16 minutes ago

Startup Offers Controversial Microplastic Blood Cleansing Treatment

Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, seated right, gives a thumbs-up alongside his wife Lisa Oz, seated left, with friends and family after he testified at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP/Ben Curtis)
2 hours ago

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency

3 hours ago

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

Vice President Mike Pence hands the electoral certificate from the state of Arizona to Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., as he presides over a joint session of Congress as it convenes to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP File)
3 hours ago

Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6

4 hours ago

Politics Turns Ugly for a Conservative Running for Fresno State Student Body President

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a joint news conference with Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo Sunday, March 30, 2025. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool Photo via AP)
4 hours ago

Pentagon’s Watchdog to Review Hegseth’s Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend