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Netflix accused of colorism over 'bonkers' casting of Zazie Beetz as Stagecoach Mary

Netflix's forthcoming Western 'The Harder They Fall' is facing accusations of colorism despite being touted for its all-Black cast. The star-studded movie portrays real historical outlaws and cowboys from 19th century America and is set to feature industry heavyweights including Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors, and Lakeith Stanfield. However, the casting of Zazie Beetz as Stagecoach Mary is proving to be rather controversial.

Mary Fields was born in 1832. She is famous for her career in the latter part of her life after she became a stagecoach mail carrier at the age of 60. The dangerous gig entailed defending the mail against violent bandits while driving across the United States. As a Black woman known for her adventurous lifestyle on the perilous job, Fields became an American pop culture icon. Now, Netflix is facing pushback over the casting of 30-year-old Beetz despite the role constituting a heavily fictionalized version of Stagecoach Mary in 'The Harder They Fall'. 

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Critics accused Netflix of colorism arguing that Fields was a dark-skinned Black woman standing more than 6 ft tall and weighing over 200 pounds, while Beetz is biracial and has a much lighter skin tone. "Stagecoach Mary looks completely opposite of Zazie Beetz and y'all knew it before casting her high yellow a**," one Twitter user wrote. "Stagecoach Mary (Mary Fields) was a large, dark-skinned woman. Explain Zazie Beetz here. That was my point. (I’m Montanan, Mary is a legend here, and that casting is bonkers)," another added. "Not Zazie Beetz uniting all the races against her casting as Stagecoach Mary lmao," a comment read. "I think Leslie Jones woulda been the perfect choice for Stagecoach Mary. Zazie Beetz was a downright ridiculous choice. Nowhere near dark-skinned, 6 feet tall, or 200 pounds," a user proposed. "This woman, in no way, shape, or form should be playing Stagecoach Mary. I'll now be boycotting your film. Colorism is trash, and it hurts us all. Zazie Beetz shouldn't even have auditioned for this role, much less taken it," another declared.

Despite having an acclaimed career with numerous high-profile films in her portfolio, Beetz's role in this movie was accused by the Daily Dot's Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of being "partly motivated by Hollywood beauty standards."

"The filmmakers chose a young, slim, light-skinned woman to play a historical figure who was none of those things," she wrote. "Meanwhile, it’s virtually unheard of for an older, dark-skinned actress to play a lead role in this kind of movie."

Baker-Whitelaw noted how Netflix had been accused of colorism in the past as it overlapped with a wider trend across Hollywood. The series 'Bridgerton' was accused of sidelining dark-skinned characters while placing light-skinned actors in prominent roles. Meanwhile, Netflix sitcom '#blackAF' also faced similar criticisms. The streaming service was singled out for its apparent hypocrisy owing to its inclusive branding, which promotes the platform as a "champion of marginalized creators and racially diverse casting," Baker-Whitelaw wrote. "The key selling point of The Harder They Fall is that it stars Black heroes who were erased from traditional Hollywood Westerns, so a lot of people are frustrated to see this film play into colorist tropes," she added.