Women and Hollywood: Despite doing work that’s won her two Tony Awards, two Academy Award nominations, two Screen Actor Guild Awards, a Golden Globe nod, and a spot on Time’s 100 Most Influential People list, actress Viola Davis is still waiting to be seen by Hollywood. She will finally get her due this September, not on the big screen, but in ABC’s latest show from Shonda Rhimes’ company, How To Get Away With Murder, which premieres September 25th.
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It is hard to believe the amount of discrimination that occurs within the industry. It is a business built around look, marketability, occasionally talent, and of course, money.
When reading this article, I was reminded of what Cameron said in conservatory hour; that he decided on Seven Guitars because it was unapologetically about black culture. This is not so much seen within film or television, but the lean towards strong black women as lead roles in major motion pictures IS beginning to pick up. I don't bleive that these roles are given to these women to make a statement about race, but they are given more in effort to show a realistic portrayal of life.
I love that Viola Davis is so outspoken about the discrimination against black women that is so pervasive in today’s society across many industries and disciplines. This is definitely a huge problem in the entertainment industry, where white men write movies that MAY feature a black woman in a secondary role. Maybe. Davis is a very talented actress and incredibly accomplished performer , who is being held back by the industry’s lack of widespread gender and racial representation in movies. It’s important for women like Viola Davis to have access to the opportunities they deserve, and it’s important for everyone watching big Hollywood movies to see a black woman star in her own movie instead of as the white girl’s best friend, forever without her own plot line. It’s important for the entertainment industry to accept that this is the 21st century and that their product needs to reflect the diversity of our society.
As the article mentions, this is a hard issue for actresses to address without appearing ungrateful for the opportunities in Hollywood that they have had. It is really amazing that Viola Davis is speaking about this, because evidently, most others will not and this is an enormous issue. It's incredible that the industry is able to get away with this extreme discrimination and as an audience member it sometimes doesn't even occur to us. But when you look at the roles that Viola Davis, and other A-list black women play, like Lupitia Nyong'o, they're only leading roles when it is essential to the story line that the lead actress is black. In roles where race is irrelevant, it always seems to be white actresses. Good for Viola Davis for speaking up, this is something that we should not allow to continue.
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