2023-10-22 20:22:45
Allociné Leon, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba and Rawle D. Lewis in the 1993 film, Rasta Rockett
Allocinated
Disney asked the director of Rasta Rockett that the actors have a “more understandable” Jamaican accent.
FILM – In this month of October 2023, the cult comedy, Rasta Rockett celebrates its 30th anniversary. For the occasion, W9 is rebroadcasting it this Sunday 22 at 9 p.m. Released in 1993, this Disney film is inspired by the incredible true story of the Jamaican bobsleigh team, which competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics.
On this occasion, director Jon Turteltaub and some of the actors recounted the difficult filming they endured due to the pressure exerted by Disney. They entrust to the media The Independent how, during production, the initial script was transformed into a film “Americanized”.
Disney was concerned that the actors’ Jamaican accent would be too pronounced. Then-studio president Jeffrey Katzenberg demanded in a phone call with Jon Turteltaub to remedy this. “He said, ‘If you can’t bring these accents back to something I can understand clearly, I’ll find a director who can…’ says the director.
The next day Jon Turteltaub ironically asked his actors to speak like “Sébastien the crab The little Mermaid » under penalty of being fired. Which they obviously didn’t do, but the message was understood. They therefore made sure to offer “an Americanized version of the film that people around the world can understand”.
This version, now known to all, is in truth very different from the original scenario. Rawle D. Lewis, who played Junior Bevil, reveals that“before Disney made it a family film, there were drugs, racism and the characters slept around a lot. »
Rasta Rockettan avant-garde film
Derice Bannock’s interpreter, Leon, was aware of the film’s impact at the time of filming. He was torn between doing his job and remaining authentic: “They wanted me to look like a black Aladdin!” They wanted a Disney version. »
Having lived part of his life in Jamaica, this role was decisive for him “the idea that we were representing Jamaica in such a progressive way and giving people a glimpse into a culture they were completely unaware of was important” eexplains Leon to The Independent.
Despite his success, Jon Turteltaub admits that he “ should not have agreed to make Rasta Rockett…”
Also see on Le HuffPost :
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