An L.A. Times article recently reported that a new study of movie acting roles reveals the existence of set-asides that harm minority actors:

[A] new report from UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center . . . concludes that 69% of available acting roles are designed for white males, either explicitly or by unspoken consensus, and that minority actors were limited to no more than 8.1% of jobs, depending on the ethnic group.

The paper said that the report “suggests struggling women and minority actors might want to bring something extra to their next audition besides a head shot: a civil rights lawyer.”

But whoops! A recent correction says:

Movie casting: An article in Thursday’s Calendar Weekend about a report on race and gender in movie casting calls stated that 69% of roles were set aside for white men. It should have said the roles were set aside for white actors, including women.

The correction should have been titled: “OK, Our Whole Article Was Garbage.”

White Americans form 74.7% of the population in the country. If the movie industry is reserving 69% of the roles for whites, when whites are 74.7% of the population, it’s quite possible that the set-aside (if there really is one) actually harms white actors.

I’ll be away from the computer for a while, as I’m off to apply for an acting role. I need to get turned down for one before I can file my lawsuit.