Girl, I love Halle Berry as a person--I just wish she would go back to that Vivian role as a crackhead in Jungle Fever and embrace that fearlessness more often. I think she leans too much into the pretty girl mode, and having met her, I know she is so much more than that.
I feel that a lot of the big name black actors are not that great and usually play the same character. Morgan Freeman, Samuel Jackson, and Denzel Washington come to mind. You can easily think of what roles they play, and they all blend together into one character. They are fine in their typical roles, but when they try to branch out, their lack of depth really shows. Does anyone remember when Samuel Jackson played a Violin Aficionado? That was the worst. (He was great in Pulp fiction, I gotta give him that.) If you want to see some great black actors on screen, check out American Fiction, a great movie. I also just re-watched Jacki Brown and Pam Grier was incredible.
Note: I criticize a lot of white actors of the same thing. But there are unfortunately so few black stars out there.
I'd really like to read your dissertation on Black mothers in cinema. I read a lot of scripts every month, and I agree it is shocking how many still include stereotypes and destructive narratives.
Girl, I love Halle Berry as a person--I just wish she would go back to that Vivian role as a crackhead in Jungle Fever and embrace that fearlessness more often. I think she leans too much into the pretty girl mode, and having met her, I know she is so much more than that.
I feel that a lot of the big name black actors are not that great and usually play the same character. Morgan Freeman, Samuel Jackson, and Denzel Washington come to mind. You can easily think of what roles they play, and they all blend together into one character. They are fine in their typical roles, but when they try to branch out, their lack of depth really shows. Does anyone remember when Samuel Jackson played a Violin Aficionado? That was the worst. (He was great in Pulp fiction, I gotta give him that.) If you want to see some great black actors on screen, check out American Fiction, a great movie. I also just re-watched Jacki Brown and Pam Grier was incredible.
Note: I criticize a lot of white actors of the same thing. But there are unfortunately so few black stars out there.
I'd really like to read your dissertation on Black mothers in cinema. I read a lot of scripts every month, and I agree it is shocking how many still include stereotypes and destructive narratives.