Now that the main cast of the live-action flick “Aladdin” has been revealed, considerable attention has gravitated to Naomi Scott. The English actress, who will tackle the plum role of Jasmine, is ecstatic to be chosen to play the coveted part. She expressed how excited she was to be a part of a fun adventure in her social media accounts. There were individuals, though, who were not as happy with the recent development.
Choice of lead actress creates a stir
Disney faced some backlash with its decision to let Scott play Princess Jasmine. Twitter and Instagram were deluged with comments from fans, with a number of them expressing that Jasmine should be Arab.
A handful of movie buffs noted how they loved her in "Power Rangers" but were taken aback when she was cast as Jasmine. Some believed that an actress of Middle Eastern descent should have been chosen.
On Twittersphere, one commenter asked why there is so much fuss over the race/culture of the actress selected to play Princess Jasmine, or why it is such a problem. On the other hand, there were those who expressed their support to the 24-year-old actress, who had the voice, the acting experience, and the drive.
Scott and Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud (who nabbed the role of Aladdin) are relatively unknown actors outside their countries. They auditioned for the lead roles and won over a couple of thousand other hopeful actors/actresses.
Big career break for Naomi Scott
Reasonable minds opined that Naomi Scott earned the career break and deserved respect. As one fan said, she must have been great during the audition, so all the unnecessary hate can go out the window.
News on who will be playing the lead roles of the “Aladdin” reboot went viral after being announced at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California.
Right after the announcement, movie fanatics lost no time expressing their excitement, while others conveyed their disappointment, particularly over the female celebrity chosen to star in the remake.
The actress, who was part of the TV film “Lemonade Mouth,” had early on discovered her authentic self through singing and songwriting.
She once stated in an interview she was happy just “going with the flow and letting the music come to her.”
Naomi Scott was taking things one step at a time straddling the worlds of acting and singing. Now she seems to be reaping the fruits of her labor and is out to prove she can do justice to the big role she just got.
