This Blog Catalogues Every Line Spoken By a Person of Color in Film

It’s no secret that the world of Hollywood is as white as Wonder Bread. Even roles inspired by minority characters are often played by white actors, and according to this year’s Hollywood Diversity Report, only one in 10 leading roles in films go to minority actors. But to fathom the scope of the problem, it helps to revisit the films themselves. How many seconds of a movie are dedicated to a non-Caucasian actor talking? 

On a new Tumblr called Every Single Word, New York-based actor Dylan Marron is creating supercuts of every line spoken by a person of color in mainstream movies such as Wedding Crashers and Her. In the case of Black Swan, only one person of color gets to speak, clocking in at 24 seconds, out of an hour and 50 minutes of run time. Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom has only 10 seconds; Into the Woods, only seven. Seven seconds. American Hustle (pictured above) has almost a full minute. 

None of the movies Marron has edited down so far have had a full 60 seconds of lines spoken by actors of color. It’s one thing to recognize that minorities are underrepresented in the film industry. It’s another to have to acknowledge just how white the fictional worlds represented on screen can be.

See more of the videos here.