People Are Angry ‘Aladdin”s White Character Is Getting A Spinoff While Its Star Can’t Get An Audition

Last week news emerged that the star of Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, Mena Massoud, hasn’t been able to get a single audition, despite playing the lead in a movie that grossed over a billion dollars. People were outraged, and then they were given a reason to be even madder: On Friday word dropped that the film’s sole white character, Prince Anders, played by Billy Magnussen, was getting his own spinoff.

As per Entertainment Weekly, Magnusson’s character — the dimly hilarious visiting royal who tries, and fails, to nab the hand of Naomi Scott’s Princess Jasmine, thus nearly stealing the picture — would be getting his own Disney+ feature, to ensure the streamer has enough new content to amass eyeballs. Good for Magnusson! Meanwhile, his co-star was unloading about his career woes to The Daily Beast.

“I’m kind of tired of staying quiet about it,” Massoud said. “I want people to know that it’s not always dandelions and roses when you’re doing something like Aladdin. ‘He must have made millions. He must be getting all these offers.’ It’s none of those things. I haven’t had a single audition since Aladdin came out.”

Granted, Massoud was talking to the publication while promoting the Hulu series Reprisal. But it’s a role he scored before he got the lead in Aladdin. Since then it’s been tumbleweeds.

Social media was quick to notice the disconnect between Massoud’s career path and Magnussen’s.

https://twitter.com/MxKantEven/status/1203095368084246528

https://twitter.com/TheGripmonster/status/1203095186169053185

https://twitter.com/kiddnubian/status/1203118857017339905

(Via EW)