Despite being praised for its all-Black cast, Netflix’s upcoming Western ‘The Harder They Fall’ is being accused of colorism. Idris Elba, Jonathan Majors, and Lakeith Stanfield are among the industry giants slated to appear in the film, which portrays true historical outlaws and cowboys from 19th century America. The casting of Zazie Beetz as Stagecoach Mary, on the other hand, is causing some controversy.

Mary Fields, who was born in 1832, is most known for a late-in-life career. She became a stagecoach mail carrier at the age of 60, a risky career that included guarding the mail from bandits while travelling across the United States. She became a cultural icon as a result of her daring lifestyle and her status as the first Black woman to take up such a dangerous work.

The streaming company was chastised by some for casting Beetz, who is mixed, fair-skinned, and significantly thinner than the real-life Stagecoach Mary. They also brought up Netflix’s, and especially Hollywood’s, preference for light-skinned actors.

“Stagecoach Mary looks completely opposite of Zazie Beetz and y’all knew it before casting her high yellow a**,” one Twitter user wrote.

Other comments:

“Stagecoach Mary (Mary Fields) was a large, dark-skinned woman. Explain Zazie Beetz here. That was my point. (I’m Montanan, Mary is a legend here, and that casting is bonkers).

Stagecoach Mary (Mary Fields) was a large, dark-skinned woman. Explain Zazie Beetz here. That was my point. (I’m Montanan, Mary is a legend here and that casting is bonkers.) pic.twitter.com/RjjJuRcubS

— Cassandra of New Troy (@amandambarr) September 29, 2021

“Not Zazie Beetz uniting all the races against her casting as Stagecoach Mary lmao.

“I think Leslie Jones woulda been the perfect choice for Stagecoach Mary. Zazie Beetz was a downright ridiculous choice. Nowhere near dark-skinned, 6 feet tall, or 200 pounds.

“This woman, in no way, shape, or form should be playing Stagecoach Mary. I’ll now be boycotting your film. Colorism is trash, and it hurts us all. Zazie Beetz shouldn’t even have auditioned for this role, much less taken it.

Others proceeded to propose other actresses who they thought would be perfect for the part, both in terms of performance and appearance, including one Twitter user who said, “Stagecoach Mary could’ve been BODIED by Danielle Brooks. Nothing against Zazie Beetz because I love her but a lot of these actors/actresses need to start pulling a Zendaya and start turning down roles that are meant for a darkskin actor.

Several people pointed out the differences between the actual and imagined Stagecoach Marys as Netflix pushed this casting choice on Twitter this week. Because some of the male leads have darker skin tones, some people have drawn attention to the disparity between the male and female roles.

Despite having an outstanding career and a slew of high-profile films under her belt, Gavia Baker-Whitelaw of the Daily Dot criticized Beetz’s involvement in this film of being “partly motivated by Hollywood beauty standards.”

“The filmmakers chose a young, slim, light-skinned woman to play a historical figure who was none of those things,” she wrote. “Meanwhile, it’s virtually unheard of for an older, dark-skinned actress to play a lead role in this kind of movie.”

Several other Netflix shows have received similar accusations, including Shonda Rhimes’ “Bridgerton” and filmmaker Kenya Barris’ “Black AF,” which featured an entirely light-skinned ensemble and was based on his family. Beetz and Netflix have yet to respond to the backlash over the casting.