Is it racist that I feel a little bit kinda proud when I have one of those moments where one sees an actor of an ethnicity different to one's own and you go "oh hey that's so-and-so from that other live-action media" and then have a moment of fear at the thought of having mistaken them for another actor of similar appearance and, more importantly, ethnicity, but then you do the appropriate googling and discover that you were, in fact, right all along and therefore not racist?
I fear that, perhaps, worrying so much - well, not much, but more than not at all - about such mistakes may be the actual racist thing. I just can't help but replay that one scene from Seinfeld (not to mention the probably countless other comedic films/shows that have made the same joke over the years, including the one I am currently watching) with the "I suppose we all look alike to you, right Costanza?" line in my head whenever such thoughts occur to me - especially if I'm watching whatever-it-is with someone else and voice my recognition aloud.
Of course, I mistake actors of my own ethnicity/ethnicities all the time and feel dumb enough about that, but at least I don't have the added embarrassment of a Costanza moment thrown in.
But yeah, as I said, it's kind of a thrill when I think (or say!) "Hey, that's Omar from The Wire!" or "Oooh, it's Gus Fring from Breaking Bad!" or "...Huh, wait, isn't that Zaboo from that weird web series starring the goddess known to mortals as Felicia Day?" and then feel this icy stab of fear as it occurs to me that I may be mistaken and therefore racist, only for a quick check to prove me right! Absolutely right and correct! Ahaha, suck it, nerds! My facial recognition abilities are, while perhaps not perfect, at least extant!
I suppose it helps that at least one of the roles played by the actors aforementioned did, in fact, involve a direct reference to the thing they're more known for. That's gotta be like, the closest I've come to being directly targeted by "fan service".