Romani filmmakers tell Disney: We want real Romani people in the live action remake of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, involve Romani people in the creative team!

That was the motto recently used by Romani activists and filmmakers calling on The Walt Disney Company to cast actors with Romani roots in the planned live action remake of their animated 1996 version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. According to Robert Poupátko, a screenwriter and member of Tuke.TV, which initiated the action, the challenge was born of frustration with the longterm nature of the insufficient, stereotypical portrayals of Romani people in film and the media.

The call has been joined by the British director Lisa Smith, screenwriter Damian Le Bas, producer Alica Sigmund Heráková of Tuke.TV and others. “I read an article reporting that Josh Gad, who is also the producer of this live action version, will play Quasimodo. I was not happy to hear that news. In the Disney version of this story, Quasimodo is a Romani man, so a Romani man should play him,” Poupátko told news server Romea.cz.

“I was frustrated by how films and serials constantly depict us. Then [Tomáš Magnusek] made a fourth film in the ‘Bastards’ (Bastardi) series and I lost patience. I knew it was important to put this call out in the public space, no matter what,” said the screenwriter and member of Tuke.TV.

Poupátko explained in an interview for Romea.cz that the main aim of the call is to achieve authentic depictions of Romani characters in feature films. He emphasized the importance of involving Romani people not just on camera, but also in the creative team and as consultants.

He has also been criticizing the fact that the Romani roots of famous characters from the Marvel Universe, such as Dr. Doom and Wanda Maximoff, are being ignored [Marvel Studios is one of the six production companies that make up The Walt Disney Studios]. “Disney ignores us regularly. The most famous [examples of Romani culture being ignored in Marvel] are Wanda Maximoff and Dr. Doom. Their powers come from their Romani origin, from their roots,” Popátko said.

The Walt Disney Company announced in 2019 that it is filming a live action remake of the classic 1996 animated Disney film “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, based on the novel by Victor Hugo. At the time the company said it would be a musical and that Alan Menken, who composed the music for the original animated film, would compose music for the live action version together with Stephen Schwartz.

The screenplay is being written by David Henry Hwang. The actor Josh Gad is producing.

In mid-2023, according to the media, work on the film stopped and it is not clear whether it will ever be completed. “The film is in limbo for now. That doesn’t mean it will never be made, though. Josh Gad is still promoting it and says the project isn’t dead. All we can do is wait,” Poupátko told Romea.cz.

VIDEO

Interview with Robert Poupátko

Q: Whose idea was it to call on The Walt Disney Company to cast actors with Romani roots in the new remake of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”? Who is behind this initiative?

A: I came forward with this idea shortly after Disney announced they were planning the remake. I read an article reporting that Josh Gad, who is also the producer of this live action version, will play Quasimodo. I was not very happy to hear that news. In the Disney version of this story, Quasimodo is a Romani man, so a Romani man should play him – and not just him. Alica Sigmund Heráková, a producer, supported me and connected with other Romani people in the field who were just as disturbed by the news as I was.

Q: What led you to publicize your call? What was your main impulse for deciding to contact the Disney company directly?

A: I was frustrated by how films and serials constantly depict us. Then [Tomáš Magnusek] made a fourth film in the ‘Bastards’ (Bastardi) series and I lost patience. I knew it was important to put this call out in the public space, no matter what. I wanted people to know that we are angry, frustrated. Yes, we did set our sights high. We are addressing this to Disney directly. We could have mentioned Josh Gad and his team directly, but that could have sounded too confrontational.

Q: Have you had any response to your call from Disney, or from the public?

A: The response from Romani people abroad and here [in the Czech Republic] was brilliant. It showed us there is a hunger for diversity here, in short. Romani people care about being able to see themselves on the big screen in the most authentic form.

Q: What specific steps do you expect the Disney company to take? How, in your view, should they be correctly depicting Romani people in film, what would that look like?

A: Right now I am anticipating, maybe a bit cynically, only the worst from Disney, but that’s just so I won’t be disappointed. There is no correct depiction of Romani people. We are not a homogenous group. It’s mainly about the context, the story being told. Authenticity is when we allow these stories to be told by Romani people themselves, when non-Romani creatives include them in their teams. We’re different, each of us. Every Romani person is different. Even if some kind of universal experiences and cultural heritage link us to each other, we each live a different, diverse Romani life.

Q: You mention that Disney has been ignoring Romani characters, for example, in films from Marvel. How have Romani people been incorrectly portrayed in films like those with the characters of Wanda Maximoff or Dr. Doom?

Disney ignores us regularly. The most famous [examples of Romani culture being ignored in Marvel] are Wanda Maximoff and Dr. Doom. Their powers come from their Romani origin, from their roots. Wanda is a witch, hated by some, loved by others. She’s persecuted in her youth, her family is murdered. However, she is dedicated to helping others and to being a good person, although many people don’t perceive her as such just because she’s different. The mutant Dr. Doom is a Romani youth whose family was forced to live on the road under the iron fist of a dictator. His mother, who taught him Romani magic, is murdered. In order to save his people, he becomes a dictator himself, and his genius brain helps him. From whom does he learn more magic when he is an adult? From Wanda Maximoff. The Romani roots of these characters are deep, they define who they are. However, the majority society frequently does not grasp that to be a Romani person, or an African-American, or a gay person or a trans person is often a part of somebody’s personality. It is something that makes him who he is, to a great extent. That’s why it’s easy for “white” creatives to throw out that aspect. The fact that they are “white” is not part of their personality, so why should such an aspect be part of a non-white person’s personality? To be fair, the situation is changing, but unfortunately, Romani people are still invisible. That’s why it is necessary to raise our voice and point out what bothers us about this.

Q: What impact, in your view, could the correct depiction of Romani culture in film have on the wider society? Do you believe it could change perceptions?

A: Cultural change is always in aid of social change. The more positive representation there is, the more accepted a given minority group is. There are studies about this, and I don’t know why it shouldn’t be the same for Romani people. However, it’s still necessary to make a lot of progress first.

Q: Can you familiarize us with the stereotypes or the errors that appeared in the original animated film of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” from 1996? What influence did that portrayal have on the Romani community?

A: There are many inaccuracies and stereotypes in the animated original of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. Among the biggest ones are certainly the depictions of Esmeralda, who is really quite sexualized. She fulfills the stereotype of a beauty who is dark, exotic and seductive. I would include as the second stereotype the fact that Esmeralda insists to one of the protagonists that, I quote: “Gypsies don’t last long behind walls of stone.” This is kind of an American, romanticized idea of life on the road that has nothing in common with the facts of history. The third stereotype I’d mention is that all of the Romani people, except for Esmeralda, are drawn as ugly. Their noses are big, their bodies are strange. They aren’t well-groomed, they are dirty. They live [in the catacombs] beneath a cemetery, which is another big piece of nonsense. They are also cutthroats and thieves.

Q: Is there any specific actor whom you would like to see in this film? How important is it that these actors have authentic Romani roots?

A: I don’t have a specific actor in mind whom I would like to see in the film. I just don’t want Gal Gadot or Ariana Grande to play Esmeralda and Josh Gad to play Quasimodo. My wish is for Romani people to have a say in the casting, for them to be on camera and behind the camera, in the creative team, or involved as consultants, which the original film did not have, although Romani organizations offered to consult back then as well. Disney refused them, of course.