Why was Chiwetel Ejiofor made to be part Indian in The Martian?
Why was Chiwetel Ejiofor's character made out to be part Indian (Vincent Kapoor) in the movie The Martian? He otherwise has no Indian history, looks to be Nigerian. Was there a reason why the creators went out of the way to establish Chiwetel Ejiofor's character to have a part Indian origin? It didn't seem relevant to the plot otherwise.
Best Answer
The movie character, Vincent Kapoor, was originally Venket Kapoor, and fully Indian in the book of the same name. The casting of Chiwetel Ejiofor required a slight change on background of the character, otherwise keeping the history intact.
Ridley Scott has not answered any questions on why the casting and changes were made, even when criticized for "white-washing".
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Why did they change Venkat to Vincent?
Venkat Kapoor, an Asian-Indian character who identifies as being a Hindu, while in Scott's film, the character's name is changed to Vincent Kapoor, who says his father was a Hindu and mother Baptist and that the role is played by British black actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.Why is Venkat Kapoor black?
But after failing to secure Indian actor Irrfan Khan, who wasn't available because of commitments to other projects, filmmaker Ridley Scott, ultimately decided to make Kapoor's character mixed race and rename him him Vincent. Ejiofor is black.Who is Venkat Kapoor in the Martian book?
The characters in Weir's novel includes Dr. Venkat Kapoor, NASA's director of Mars Operations. His name was changed in the film version to Vincent Kapoor, played by actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. The character Mindy Park, who is of Korean lineage, is played by white actress Mackenzie Davis.Chiwetel Ejiofor - Lifestyle 2021 ★ New Girlfriend, Family, Education, Net Worth \u0026 Biography
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