Jamey on Nostr: This. I am fine with re-imagining some characters as different races in stories if it ...

This. I am fine with re-imagining some characters as different races in stories if it serves the narrative. Having Elphaba played by a black actress in the Wicked film adaptation served the narrative since Elphaba was always a stand-in for marginalized people. The problem I see with race-swapping Harry Potter characters is that they tend to be very loaded, so race-swapping leads to a lot of complications that didn't exist before.

I remember when Cursed Child had a black actress playing Hermione Granger which I didn't have a problem with at face value, but suggesting that Hermione Granger is black presented a problem in the larger narrative. In Goblet of Fire, Hermione was advocating for House Elves only to be be told she was in the wrong. Imagine telling a black girl she's wrong for wanting to stop the subjugation of a sentient race and to be told that they are happier being slaves!