Robert Townsend and the Black Acting School

True, an acting role is not a reflection of the person. But there is some social responsibility involved for any one who boldly carries around the black card. Black actors have the predicament of getting enough roles to sustain an acting career, but performing some self-monitoring so that they don’t become an outcast who slanders the black community.

Such is the case of Bobby (Robert Townsend) in Hollywood Shuffle (1987), which Townsend wrote, directed, starred in, and produced. The semi-autobiographical film reflects certain experiences that Townsend encountered as a black actor auditioning for limited roles available to him – as servants, pimps, muggers, and slaves. He ultimately has to make a decision about whether he wants his career to go down this road of stereotypes.

‘Hollywood Shuffle’: Black Acting School
‘Hollywood Shuffle’: Auditions
‘Hollywood Shuffle’: NAACP & Uncle Tom

Actress Sanaa Lathan (Love and Basketball, Out of Time, Something New) has a long list of acting credits. Yet, even she finds that it’s hard for black women to get roles.

She often tells her agent to look beyond roles for black women, especially in cases where a character’s race or sex has no relevance to the film – such as her recent role in Contagion (2011).

With a dearth of quality roles, can we really blame actors for taking a job for a paycheck?

What should they do?

What would Borat do?

2 COMMENTS

  1. Robert Townsend is a sage, a soothsayer, a prophet. We should have listened to him. Black film needs a need direction. Hollywood is taken by people who do not have a history of sharing – only hoarding. That, my friends is why America continues to stagnate.

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