Adele Requested Not To Cast ‘Caucasian Male’ In ‘Hello’ Music Video To Address Police Brutality


Adele’s poignant “Hello” video holds an important story behind it as filmmaker Xavier Dolan revealed the British singer’s clear instructions for her love interest in the music video. Speaking to Vulture, Dolan said that casting Tristan Wilds as Adele’s partner was a deliberate attempt to draw attention to the police brutality in the U.S.

“It was her desire that we wouldn’t cast a Caucasian male in this, which I thought was great. She called me and said, ‘This is what I think we should do,’ and if my memory serves me right. I’m going to be honest, it’s tragic not to be able to remember what exact conflict was on the news at that moment, because there are so many incidents of police brutality.”

While Dolan can’t remember the precise incident which prompted the songstress to call him, he’s certain that Adele reached for the phone after finding out about a particular “disgusting” incident. He lauded the “Someone Like You” hitmaker for her decision.

“She was just like, ‘I’m concerned with the reality of the tensions between authorities and the black community, and I want to send a message out there.’ I thought it was beautiful. I wish it was my idea, but it wasn’t.”

After its release in 2015, the “Hello” music video has received more than a billion views on Youtube.

[Image by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]

Last year, The Guardian made a study which suggested that black American teenagers were five times more likely than white teenagers to be killed by police officers.

It isn’t the first time that Adele made a stand for fairness. She is likewise in a battle with ticket touts that resell passes to her Wembley Stadium concerts for exorbitant fees. Adele calls the situation “unacceptable,” that’s why she teamed up with website Twickets to address the problem.

The site has a page dedicated to Adele which gives instructions that “ticket holders who can no longer attend a show may sell them to other fans through Twickets at no more than the price they originally paid.”

[Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for BT PR]

Only ticket holders whose names are printed on the passes are guaranteed admission. Those who are unable to attend may have the names changed but only through Twickets. Resale of tickets outside the channel may deem the purchase futile because the holder might be denied entry to the concerts. “You’ve got all those terrible people selling tickets for £25,000 (about $31,000) a pair. I hope no one paid that much. If you did, I’ll pay you back,” the “One and Only” singer once said.

When tickets for Adele’s shows went on sale, they were wiped out in 11 minutes. Many appeared on various resale sites such as Viagogo and Stubhub but sellers are offering them for thousands of pounds even if the tickets’ face value range from £45 to £95 (about $57 and $120).

Adele’s management has long called for ticket profiteering to be declared illegal. MP Nigel Adams is happy that Adele took a stand. As per Daily Mail, he urges other artists to do the same.

“I’m very pleased that Adele has taken this stance — it is one step towards thwarting industrial ticket touts that are ripping off genuine fans. I would encourage other artists to take Adele’s lead.”

Some ticket touts use sophisticated “bots” that allow them to get hundreds of tickets within seconds. There are special computer programs as well that make it possible for touts to create hundreds of postings for the tickets at the mere click of a button.

Fans have likewise called out ticket sales giant Ticketmaster that allegedly passes tickets directly to its partner resale websites GetMeIn! And Seatwave in exchange of a cut. Ticketmaster has been accused of doing the strategy for Phil Collins’ concerts. Its subsidiaries have refrained from reselling Adele’s tickets to avoid backlash.

[Featured Image by Joern Pollex/Getty Images for September Management]

Share this article: Adele Requested Not To Cast ‘Caucasian Male’ In ‘Hello’ Music Video To Address Police Brutality
More from Inquisitr