A few months after the “Oscar so white” controversy, one obvious conclusion has arisen from the clutter: the industry needs to cast more minorities. But creating more “black roles” for black actors isn’t going to solve anything. Our suggestion? The inclusion of minorities in the genderless, colorless roles.
If some movies’ plots revolve around the specific identity of a protagonist, others leave great casting freedom. By creating characters’ whose gender or race is not relevant to the story, we create what we call the genderless, colorless roles. The concept aims for the incorporation of women and non-white actors in roles in which racial or sexual attributes have no importance. In the long run, it aims for the trivialization of minorities in lead roles.
To see how the industry is doing so far, we broke down last year’s most talk-about films into three categories. The first one regroups films with gender and/or race-interchangeable protagonists.
The second category shows all films in which the racial and gender identity of the characters matter to the story. In other words, these are the characters that have specific physical attributes that need to be respected. 
The last category regroups characters that have been known for longer periods of time (through literature, theatre, folklore or earlier films), and to whom we have associated specific genders or races. Some of these roles could be genderless and colorless, but tradition and habit have kept the mold rigid.
This breakdown and analysis reveal three major points.
1. There are a lot more genderless, colorless roles than we think; they’re just not taken advantage of. Some films, such as Star Wars and Sicario lead the way, and we hope the industry follows.
2. A majority of films still have gender or race specific roles. Stories based on real-life events represent almost a third of the list.
3. There is a lot of creative potential in the reassignment of well-known characters. Wasn’t Idris Elba considered for the next James Bond?
Who has the power to change this? Production companies. What can we do about it? Encourage the viewing of films who incorporate minorities in roles in which gender and/or race do not have an impact, and popularize their protagonists. Soon enough, they’ll get it. Minorities ARE good for business.