Black actors in Hollywood

Hollywood has never been kind to ethnic actors. It seems it is a written rule in Hollywood that an actor that is not Caucasian is automatically seen as inferior in terms of technique and talent. Black actors in Hollywood have had to deal with a slew of problems ranging from stereotypical roles to plain crappy scripts. If you look at the landscape of performers in Hollywood, the majority of the ones that get the best roles happen to be Caucasian. Now if you dig a little deeper and look at casting breakdowns, you will notice that the majority of directors and producers are looking for Caucasian actors. At this stage in American history, it really pays to be Caucasian.

But black actors also have themselves to look at when it comes to the question of success in Hollywood. There are a handful of black actors that can be viewed as successful, Mostly Will Smith and maybe Terrence Howard, Samuel Jackson and Don Cheadle. Actors may not always be able to get the financing for a film, but if they find a good writer to work with, I’m sure there is a producer out there who would be willing to work with them.

Black actors and actresses have one of the best connections in the world of music. There are a lot of black people making money in the music business, why not partner up with one of these people and form a production company? People like P. Diddy and Russell Simmons have a lot of money, and with a little bit of ingenuity and careful planning, they can have production companies and distribution companies of their own so that they can make the types of films they want to make.

But on a whole, when we look at black actors in Hollywood and their challenges, we must look at awards season. Every year, it is always a surprise to see a black actor or actress’ name on nomination ballots. It is as if the TV and film industry completely forgets that these people exist when the time comes to hand out statuettes. Actors like Will Smith, Don Cheadle, Sam Jackson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Terrence Howard, Viola Jones and Sophie Okonedo give brilliant performances, yet they are always ignored in place for actors whose performances cannot compare to those of elementary school kids.

The situation in the entertainment business is not going to change any time soon, but black actors and actresses should take up the challenge and make their own movies. For God’s sake call Oprah and get some money.