Aries Spears on White Voice Actors & Writers Doing Black Characters on 'Cleveland Show' (Part 20)

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In this clip, Aries Spears covered a range of issues related to voice acting, casting, and representation in the entertainment industry. The discussion began with a comment from Carl Jones, who took issue with the "Cleveland Show" having Black characters voiced by white actors and the scripts authored by white writers. A comparison is made between "Family Guy" and the "Cleveland Show," with "Family Guy" being the preference. Regarding voice acting in animation, the comedian noted that it's about the voice fitting the character rather than the actor physically embodying the role. However, there was an exception for characters specifically based on real figures, using a hypothetical Malcolm X cartoon as an example.

The conversation moved towards the broader entertainment industry, questioning if gay roles should be played by gay actors and addressing the tendency for Hollywood to whitewash roles or have white actors play characters of color. The "West Side Story" was cited as a notable example of this practice. Spears concluded that more opportunities should be given to underrepresented groups to play roles in their communities to ensure authentic representation.