Alexandra Shipp has once again made some X-Men/Storm-related comments that haven’t gone over too well on social media.
After being called out repeatedly for dismissing criticisms of colorism in the casting of Storm, who was a dark-skinned African woman in the comics, she’s back again in an interview with Comicbook.com speaking on Dark Phoenix (the last X-Men film before Disney will likely reboot the characters now that they have the rights from Fox). Shipp presented her idea for a hypothetical Storm film featuring only lighter-skinned actresses.
“Okay, so this is what I’ve come up with,” she said. “I think it’d be really cool if you had me and Halle [Berry] both teaming up together and fighting a baddie. We have to save the planet past, future, present and maybe throw in Yara [Shahidi] in there, and have her be a young one, or Amandla [Stenberg] be the younger one. I think it’d be even cooler. So I feel like we just gotta get a whole bunch of Storms together, because then people will just be like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so much Storm.'”
#DarkPhoenix star @AlexShipppp wants to put herself, @halleberry, @Amandla, and @YaraShahidi together for the ultimate Storm movie. https://t.co/S3EG1qOUYA pic.twitter.com/iowqW8is88
— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisBD) May 23, 2019
Of course, she seems to be basing her idea on women that look like herself and Berry, since Shipp is playing a younger version of Berry’s interpretation of Storm in the first place in the universe that Fox created. However, Shipp’s idea invokes colorism, especially since she’s provided questionable statements regarding colorism and Storm in the past. Also, how could Shahidi and Stenberg play younger versions of Shipp when all three actresses are about the same age in the first place?
Shipp opened herself up to further criticism from the Twittersphere, including those who are re-upping the call for darker-skinned actresses to play the heroine. Here’s what folks had to say.
She said !!!!! LIGHTSKINS ONLY !!!!! EYEE had to laugh!
— DRACARYS (@ihatefritos) May 24, 2019
Oh, boy. pic.twitter.com/Ge7ePOkjXw
— Enrique Rea (@HankRea) May 24, 2019
Us when storm gets recasted for a beautiful dark skinned, black woman! pic.twitter.com/TExd2oiszK
— Gold Standard Ship (@AwesomeBamon) May 24, 2019
No but #KikiforOroro pic.twitter.com/4ySaknyF67
— Ibrahim Amin (@ibzamin) May 23, 2019
………..umm No pic.twitter.com/jZDR9H9NuE
— WhiteWolf 87 (@87Whitewolf) May 23, 2019
Nah we good pic.twitter.com/4ZrBPNP35a
— ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴᴅ ᴊ-sᴏɴ????BITCH PLEASE YOU BEEN TO SPACE???? (@nofilterking) May 24, 2019
Alexandra, stop.
— Sam M. Huisache (@sammhuisache) May 24, 2019
— Lil ???? Lyanna ???????? (@NeyhoLiyah) May 24, 2019
We need dark skinned storm im tired of light skinned storm!!! Us light skins don’t need it!!!
— buzz killington (@KendraDae) May 24, 2019
Isn’t she the same actress who portrayed Aaliyah horribly? Shahidi is brilliant. Halle Berry is very kind and I was able to meet her years ago. Both women do not look like Storm and it’s colorism. @normani, @ajanaomi_king or @jadeeshete look like Storm and could easily play her. pic.twitter.com/9tqmJVAIBy
— Marcel (@celmation) May 24, 2019
please, sit down somewhere, miss shipp. reexamine your light skin privilege and approximity to whiteness. read some journals. i recommend Professor Tru Leverette’s “Speaking up: Mixed Race Identity in Black Communities” from Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 39, No. 3 pp. 434-45
— Mx.Tylea????️???? (@tyleawrites) May 24, 2019
If you want to check out Dark Phoenix, it hits theaters next month.
READ MORE:
A Storm Is Ablaze: Alexandra Shipp Reacts To Fan Praise For Potential Recasting Of X-Men Heroine
‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ Star KiKi Layne’s Team Is ‘Actively Plotting’ For Role As X-Men’s Storm
Disney Could Begin Developing New Marvel X-Men Films In The First Half Of 2019
Alexandra Shipp Says It’s Time For A Standalone Storm Film
Photo: 20th Century Fox
