David Ayer addresses ‘brownface’ criticism in latest film The Tax Collector

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Director David Ayer is no stranger to jumping on Twitter to defend his projects. Look no further than anything that has to do with SUICIDE SQUAD and you will find Ayer publicly defending many of his decisions on that film and that project came out in 2016! David Ayer recently had to use the social media giant to defend another one of his films and while it was a nice change of pace to see that it wasn't SUICIDE SQUAD, his defense of Shia LaBeouf and his character in the upcoming film, THE TAX COLLECTOR, touches on a more serious issue that has become a hot topic in Hollywood.

The trailer for THE TAX COLLECTOR arrived last week and the first look has already received its share of controversy since. The film follows two 'tax collectors' played by LaBeouf and Bobby Soto that are employed underneath a menacing crime lord named Wizard. What's causing the controversy is that some are upset with LaBeouf's alleged use of 'brownface' in the film.

For the sake of this film, it means that LaBeouf is depicting someone who is not the race of the performer and some detractors have pointed to the fact that they believe LaBeouf is appropriating a Latino personality by using a "cholo" accent. Cholo is a term used to describe a man or boy of Mexican descent and it is often seen as a derogatory word, with people of mixed-blood heritage getting labeled as such. The term is also often associated with young men in street gangs and the term 'brownfacing' began to trend when images of LaBeouf emerged showing him as his character 'Creeper' and it only escalated with the release of the film's trailer.

Ayer, as he's become accustomed to, took to Twitter to try and defend a character that hasn't been fully revealed to the public and only glimpsed at in a short trailer:

Ayer's defense of the character still isn't shutting down the 'brownfacing' criticism from users across social media, although I can see what Ayer is trying to get at it as he describes who this character is supposed to be. LaBeouf isn't meant to be playing someone of Latino descent and is merely playing a character that grew up around a certain culture and this has formed his personality. This is not an uncommon occurrence but in this current time that we're living in when viewers are looking to more inclusion and accountability, the argument becomes 'why couldn't you just cast someone of Latino descent to portray the character?' This is a fight that Ayer may not currently win because it's such a sensitive time as all of this stuff is being called out, particularly on public forums like Twitter. Ayer is no stranger to addressing Los Angeles street life having written 2001's TRAINING DAY & making his directorial debut with 2005's HARSH TIMES. I would argue if he same something like the TAX COLLECTOR during that time period, the response to character choices made by Shia LaBeouf wouldn't receive such a visceral reaction but we definitely living in very different times and just about anything can become a hot button topic.

It appears that some of the detractors want LaBeouf to answer for his character but he has not commented on the situation at this time. I imagine that he would essentially say he's playing a character as described in the script but I'm sure that would also lead to some kind of criticism. Ayer confirms that Shia is the only white actor in the movie, which features a very diverse cast and a part of me thinks it's a shame that the diversity on display isn't being discussed in a more positive light as the industry longs for more diversity in film and TV. I'm sure this will heat up the closer the film gets to its release and more will be said after moviegoers get a chance to fully see LaBeouf in character in the finished film.

What are YOUR thoughts on the criticism and Ayer's response to it?