tobia:

“No matter what, people don’t think of me for glamorous parts. I’ll go to an audition or a meeting in a pretty dress, and they still think of me as depressed or embattled. Hopefully, that will change.”

“There just aren’t a lot of roles for—I mean, I’m a 46-year-old black actress who doesn’t look like Halle Berry—and Halle Berry is having a hard time. You know there’s not a lot of leading roles.”

—Viola Davis

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The only reason I am even remotely interested in the cinemas lately—particularly, WOC narratives in cinema, is because of this women. I witnessed THE HELP during my flight to Nigeria. It was a rather traumatic experience, but I could not deny Viola Davis’ powerful performance in it, even if her character and the entire premise of the film was completely flawed. (Octavia Spencer’s performance is heartbreaking as well; however, there were so many moments when I cringed b/c her character had been played so many times before…need I mention the actresses? Hattie McDaniel, Whoopi Goldberg, Queen Latifah, Mo’nique, Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey, Gabby Sidibe, Tyler Perry (ahem!) the list goes on) I’ll never forget her performance in DOUBT, in which I first heard of Davis, and wanted so badly to see her have her own chopes put into a proper, fully-fledged character in a feature length film. But as Davis aforementioned, if Halle Berry is having a hard time finding roles, well, it sucks for all of them. 

That’s why films like THE HELP are what they jump at perhaps, because it seems, that’s all they’re being offered. Take a gorgeous, strong and emotionally stable black actress and put her in a position where she constantly plays someone vulnerable, downtrodden, sexless, and deeply affected and no one will see any other option for her. That becomes the pigeon-holed platform and it’s extremely infuriating as a Black female viewer, to constantly see these roles get reiterated by top-rate actresses with no other options. Coincidentally, what I love about the internet (and why I freaked out so much over SOPA, altho’ that’s another argument) is that it provided me at a young age with other visual images and representations of WOC, particularly Black women, that were positive, uplifting and made me feel like I belonged. These weren’t fabricated images and narratives manufactured by the ill-equipped and outdated modes of the Advertising, Television/Hollywood bullshit (ahem, I mean “formulaic routine”), theses were enterprising and open REAL WOMEN, speaking for themselves, creating their own platforms and I wanted to be a part of that. That’s why I deliberately choose to be so candid on this blog, because I knew that if I cannot be honest about my experience as a Black women than I am doing a great disservice to a viewer who may simply be looking for VARIETY, another voice beside the pitilessly little and played out narratives offered by such systems and industries like Hollywood. It is happening now, all over the web. You see it even here on Tumblr: a plethora of beautiful blogs all dedicated, hosted and managed by WOC expressing ourselves, showing that we don’t need to wait on someone else to write or portray our experiences and stories down for us. And why the hell should we wait? Viola Davis is still waiting and the woman is 46 years old?! It doesn’t make sense. 

There’s a reason why web-shows like AWKWARD BLACK GIRL are getting so much support and attention right now, it’s because it’s something different, something truthful, something else which doesn’t present a WOC being Aibileen Clark or even (sorry Halle) Leticia Musgrove. No matter how much cutting humor or “jive talk” you sprinkle over or inject into it, this doesn’t change the fact that there is too much sameness and too little patience for it now. To be clear, we do acknowledge that some of these roles did have their time of truths—that they did represent a period, a place, a people—but reiterating roles from 50 years prior (or more) seems beyond masturbatory, even for Hollywood. It’s been done and done and done and done and…re-done. For goodness’ sake, let us see SOMEONE ELSE! Another narrative, another story, not the same bloody archetype. I swear if poor Viola, or anyone else, has to play yet another “Mammy” character I just might lose it. First: it’s completely unfair to give a talented actresses such pittance. Secondly: it doesn’t give the audience — with all of our stories and variety (not just WOC) some credit and think we are even slightly intelligent.

Take an exercise: Why shouldn’t Viola Davis play a sexy artist (not a jazz singer, also been done too many times before), how about… a NYC-based photographer, who lands on the International Art scene with a one woman show, or similar; hell, we’ll even throe in a love story in the process! She may fall for another male or female or transgendered (gasp!) of color who is also an artist—how about a writer?— and they have a relationship full of fluctuating moods and passionate exchanges, or whathaveyou (hinting at Blue Valentine, but it doesn’t have to go there). Sure, have it be funny, but mainly, have it be an honest courtship — even if her character’s work is always at the forefront, or is, in fact, her one true love? (Getting too personal much?) In any case, can we even provide such a narrative for her? Is there even a slightly possibility? Am I asking for too much here? Listening in for any other suggestions…. Sigh. If only it were possible. 

Welp! I leave it to you, Internet. Let’s take over from where we started. We’ve already proven that Hollywood is out of step, let’s create a fully-fledged narrative for this well-deserving actress! And let’s get the ball rolling, because she’s not the only one who’s not getting the roles she deserves. There are far too many First Nation Americans, Asian Americans, Desi Americans, Americans of Pacific Islander decent, Middle Eastern Americans, Latino Americans, Mixed-Race Americans and more that need some fully-fledged characters and narratives now. We have all been waiting far too long (and the White-washing of said people has gone on long enough, it’s practically embarrassing for everyone). Why is it so difficult for people to realize that having POC as main characters, with (gasp!) the possibility of little to no Caucasian characters doesn’t mean it represents this exclusive, esoteric narrative that others can not get into, that others cannot get behind and believe in? I have watched a variety of web-based sitcoms and commentaries from POC completely different form me and my experience and have related to them wholeheartedly and, in fact, wanted to support them more when the SPECIFICS of their cultural, social, religious, and sexual narrative was brought to the forefront. I admired that kind of honesty and staying true to the integrity of that person. We are no longer the generation that is looking for representations or idols who fit our standards of living, our stories, because we already exist and we see it everyday, if Hollywood chooses to ignore it, then so be it, but that doesn’t mean we, the newly emerging creative class, cannot take matters into our own hands and create our own stories FOR OURSELVES, BY OURSELVES. 

I’m sorry if this is coming off as a over-wrought rant/manifesto/call-to-arms, it wasn’t intended to be that way when I started. It’s just having read Viola’s quotes something struck in me; furthermore, having recently watching the BBC program “London Calling” which brings to global attention how the UK, particularly London, has the highest concentrated mixed-race couples and mixed-race offspring population in the world makes you wonder why this isn’t something we see reflected in it’s entertainment industry that often as well (besides, say, MISFITS, or my childhood fave, Bend It Like Beckham). And yet, what is the highest import of UK entertainment: they are still giving us stories about the Royal House of Windsor, Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte dramas, or Sherlock Holmes (I love BBC’s Sherlock, Mr. Cumberbatch and all, but c’mon! Have him LOOK like a modern-day Sherlock who actually would be living in multicultural London, aye? And why is everyone around him of the same origins as well?) In essence, it makes you realize that such out of step representations are beyond ridiculous at this point. (And no hate on the Royal Family and period dramas, I’m actually a huge fan. But variety, my friends, variety. If this is suppost to be a global capitalism we are in, where are our competitive options? From the media goods being offered, they smell a bit stale and beyond their selling date.)   

—T.O.