ABC will debut a line up featuring an African-American family in “Black-ish,” a gay couple with an adopted Asian daughter in “Modern Family,” and Kerry Washington staring as a political fixer on “Scandal.”
On Thursday night Viola Davis will join that schedule when her series “How to Get Away with Murder” premieres. Meanwhile, the CW is launching “Jane the Virgin,” starring Gina Rodriguez, and Fox is set to debut “Empire,” which stars Terrance Howard, early next year.
4 comments:
As a woman and as a person of color who potentially wants to be in the entertainment industry, I understand why television wants to see more representation. I too wouldn't mind seeing more hispanics, women, or other people of color on television but I feel like a lot of times articles like "Actors of Color Gain Ground" forget that women and people of color do have ground. Modern Family and Scandal aren't the only TV shows airing strong women and people of color and the roles they portrayed have been portrayed for years. The Cosby Show was on television in the mid-eighties showing the life of a successful and loving African American Family. I Love Lucy, about a strong smart, successful, American woman, started airing in the 50s and was produced by cuban, Desi Arnaz, who also was a lead actor for it. Women and people of color have been on TV for a long time. Although all shows on television don't portray actors of color or strong women, America isn't completely made up of people of color or strong women, there are caucasian families and women who aren't part of major leading jobs, con tries, or corporations in America too. We aren't really breaking ground, nor do I think it is completely necessary at act as if we are. I appreciate the commotion about people of color and women being more present in entertainment, but I wish it wasn't at the expense of losing recognition of how much ground we have already earned.
This could not come at a better time. While the entertainment representation is far better than it has been historically, there is still a vast need for improvement in representation. In 2012, for instance, women held only 28.4% of speaking roles. In the same year Caucasian actors made up 81.9% of all roles in movies and on tv. Considering how much we have gone through in order to attain equal rights for all americans, it seems ridiculous that we don't have a representation in media that reflects that. Studies have shown that even at age 6 watching tv increases self esteem for white boys, decreases in African-american children and white girls. It is time for our movies and TV to actually reflect the country they entertain, and represent a cultured as varied and diverse as the one we actually live in.
I think Carolyn nailed it perfectly. The entertainment industry should absolutely be representing equally, not caring about gender or race, unless of course the part calls for it. Talent comes from all walks of life, and there are so many individuals who get shunned or rejected from something that they are truly incredible at solely based off of their gender or ethnicity, and this is not okay. As an industry we are better than that, and representation should be based off of talent, and the ability to play the part. It is good that these things are changing and that equality is being hit in all aspects of the industry.
I think that actors of color are definitely gaining more ground. There seems to be much less emphasis on race when casting shows. Of course, the typecasting element of the entertainment industry is still there, but there seems to be much more willingness to bend the rules. It is possible that agencies are doing this on purpose, in order to make themselves seen as more progressive, but does that really matter? When your an actor going out for a role, does the underlying intention, so long as it is not malicious, really matter to you? Or is work work? I suppose it would depend upon the individual.
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