As a South Asian, I need people to stop fan casting Benji with South Asian actors. Please. He’s a Palestinian boy, meaning he’s Arab— not Desi. We’re not interchangeable just because we’re brown, we have our own unique racialization and cultures, and both deserve to be appreciated and loved, especially Palestinian culture as it’s under genocide right now. The casting team needs to do their best to find a Palestinian to play Benji whenever they adapt him, they’ve already shown they’re capable of finding actors and actresses that are amazing but haven’t gotten as much recognition yet. I’m sure there are plenty of Palestinian actors who haven’t been able to get their big break due to zionism in media, and what better way to uplift them? If it’s difficult to find someone who’s specifically Palestinian, then they should at least find someone who’s Arab.
I’ve seen many people suggest Aryan Simhadri, and while I think he’s a really good choice of actor I think he’s better suited to play Arun/younger Amadeo (since his character is already South Asian) than Benji.
