Casting out: The racial division of acting labor in French film and television

This article examines how racial categories shape casting practices in the French film and television industry. Drawing on interviews with 24 casting directors and 51 actors and actresses perceived as non-white, it reveals a highly stratified employment landscape, where ethnoracial stereotypes severely restrict access to significant roles. Although explicit racial categorization is generally prohibited in France, the entertainment industry benefits from specific exemptions that allow casting professionals to openly rely on ethnoracial criteria. Non-white performers describe casting as a degrading, exclusionary process, as they are frequently compelled to embody caricatured roles, adopt fake accents or subjected to demeaning comments about their appearance. Despite formal training and proven talent, they are often confined to minor parts, due to a racialized structure of artistic labor.