Actress and comedian Sarah Silverman is slamming Hollywood over a practice she calls 'Jewface' after Catholic Kathryn Hahn is cast to play the late Joan Rivers in Showtime's limited series The Comeback Girl.
Silverman, 50, says there is a long running practice of non-Jewish actors and actresses being cast to portray Jewish characters in films and television shows.
'There's this long tradition of non-Jews playing Jews, and not just playing people who happen to be Jewish but people whose Jewishness is their whole being,' she said during Thursday's episode of The Sarah Silverman Podcast.
'One could argue, for instance, that a Gentile [a non-Jew] playing Joan Rivers correctly would be doing what is actually called 'Jewface.''
She continued, arguing that Hahn, 48, portraying Rivers is just the most recent example in a long list of 'Jewface' casting decisions.
Actress and comedian Sarah Silverman is slamming Hollywood over a practice she calls 'Jewface' which she argues is 'defined as when a non-Jew portrays a Jew with the Jewishness front and center, often with makeup or changing of features, big fake nose, all the New York-y or Yiddish-y inflection'
Silverman's comments come in response to Kathryn Hahn (left) being cast to play the late Joan Rivers (right) in Showtime's limited series The Comeback Girl. Hahn grew up Roman Catholic whereas Rivers was Jewish
Silverman argued that 'Jewface' is 'defined as when a non-Jew portrays a Jew with the Jewishness front and center, often with makeup or changing of features, big fake nose, all the New York-y or Yiddish-y inflection.'
She claims the practice is 'f****d up,' especially during a climate where identity politics and 'representation f*****g matters'.
'In a time when the importance of representation is seen as so essential and so front and center, why does ours constantly get breached even today in the thick of it?' she questioned.
She also argued that whenever a film or television plot calls a female Jewish character who is 'courageous or deserves love, she is never played by a Jew.'
Silverman then cited additional examples including: Felicity Jones portraying Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the 2018 film On the Basis of Sex, Hulu casting Margo Martindale as Bella Abzug and Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan in Mrs. America, and Rachael Brosnahan portraying the fictional Miriam Maisel in the film The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
The actress noted that while she doesn't believe these actresses are 'doing anything wrong,' she wishes they would understand that the practice is not acceptable.
'I wish they would realize that that is by design,' Silverman said.
She added that Jewish people also need to advocate for representation in the entertainment industry.
'It has to also finally matter for Jews as well,' she added. 'Especially Jewish women.'
Silverman claims that whenever a film or television plot calls a female Jewish character who is 'courageous or deserves love, she is never played by a Jew'
It is not uncommon for someone of another race or
