The US television series Scandal has given us a black woman – Kerry Washington – in a lead role. Roll on the parts for black British female actors
Even the trailer for Scandal made me feel euphoric – after all, this show has the first black female protagonist in a network drama in nearly 40 years. Even better, in the show itself race does not assume a character of its own – it is not the epicentre, it is merely incidental and I, and many others (at least, my twitter feed) are thankful for this.
Scandal, which recently started its second series on More4, stars Kerry Washington as the powerhouse that is Olivia Pope, a middle-class, Republican (don't hold it against her), elite crisis manager in Washington DC. She fixes problems: not run-of-the-mill ones, but problems on a colossal scale. The show has been praised for having a racially diverse cast but being "post-racial". The characters are defined by the essence of who they are, not by the pigmentation of their skin. Pope is a host of contradictions: unapologetically bold but not above reproach; formidable but not immune from the pang of vulnerability. Pope is a fully realised person, which, in regards to roles given to black actors, is a rarity.
There is Luther, of course, starring Idris Elba as the eponymous detective chief inspector. Elba plays quite possibly the most complex role in British television of any actor at the moment, let alone black British actors. While his success should be celebrated, there is still much progress to be made, especially when it comes to black British female actors.
We do not have black British female protagonists on our televisions, let alone ones who display the layers and depth of Olivia Pope. The last time one graced our screens was circa 199never, and this needs to be both challenged and resolved. Not only is there a need for roles for black British female actors, these roles need to be cultivated within a post-racial context.
Luther may provide the genesis of this change. Like Scandal, the critically acclaimed thriller could also be described as post-racial. He is a fantastically flawed detective who happens to be black, not a black fantastically flawed detective. Does the fact that Elba is the associate producer of the show ensure that his race is not the focal point? Would Olivia Pope be the Olivia Pope we know and love if she was not the creation of Shonda Rhimes (head writer and executive producer of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice)?
This is not to say that white writers are incapable of creating roles for black actors that do not adhere to the same tired narratives of gun crime, for example — but if the likes of Channel 4's Top Boy is anything to go by, that seems to be a truism. In Hollywood, there is a generation of female actors rising up and creating the roles they want to play – roles that are free from male domination and do not reduce them to one-dimensional subordinates. There is no reason why black British female actors cannot also rise up and do the same on this side of the Atlantic – the onus is on them, and existing black writers, to do so.
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Film producer and screenwriter Sheila Nortley, who we have to thank for the remarkable short film Zion, says: "Black screenwriters can improve the representation of black females on TV by simply being great writers and applying the due diligence and care needed to cultivate any believable character in a narrative to their black characters. This should maybe come from a sense of responsibility not only to their race, but also to their art as writers."
Hopefully, the next time I see a trailer starring a black female protagonist, her accent will be British. Reported by guardian.co.uk 9 hours ago.
Even the trailer for Scandal made me feel euphoric – after all, this show has the first black female protagonist in a network drama in nearly 40 years. Even better, in the show itself race does not assume a character of its own – it is not the epicentre, it is merely incidental and I, and many others (at least, my twitter feed) are thankful for this.
Scandal, which recently started its second series on More4, stars Kerry Washington as the powerhouse that is Olivia Pope, a middle-class, Republican (don't hold it against her), elite crisis manager in Washington DC. She fixes problems: not run-of-the-mill ones, but problems on a colossal scale. The show has been praised for having a racially diverse cast but being "post-racial". The characters are defined by the essence of who they are, not by the pigmentation of their skin. Pope is a host of contradictions: unapologetically bold but not above reproach; formidable but not immune from the pang of vulnerability. Pope is a fully realised person, which, in regards to roles given to black actors, is a rarity.
There is Luther, of course, starring Idris Elba as the eponymous detective chief inspector. Elba plays quite possibly the most complex role in British television of any actor at the moment, let alone black British actors. While his success should be celebrated, there is still much progress to be made, especially when it comes to black British female actors.
We do not have black British female protagonists on our televisions, let alone ones who display the layers and depth of Olivia Pope. The last time one graced our screens was circa 199never, and this needs to be both challenged and resolved. Not only is there a need for roles for black British female actors, these roles need to be cultivated within a post-racial context.
Luther may provide the genesis of this change. Like Scandal, the critically acclaimed thriller could also be described as post-racial. He is a fantastically flawed detective who happens to be black, not a black fantastically flawed detective. Does the fact that Elba is the associate producer of the show ensure that his race is not the focal point? Would Olivia Pope be the Olivia Pope we know and love if she was not the creation of Shonda Rhimes (head writer and executive producer of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice)?
This is not to say that white writers are incapable of creating roles for black actors that do not adhere to the same tired narratives of gun crime, for example — but if the likes of Channel 4's Top Boy is anything to go by, that seems to be a truism. In Hollywood, there is a generation of female actors rising up and creating the roles they want to play – roles that are free from male domination and do not reduce them to one-dimensional subordinates. There is no reason why black British female actors cannot also rise up and do the same on this side of the Atlantic – the onus is on them, and existing black writers, to do so.
Watching this on mobile? Click here to view
Film producer and screenwriter Sheila Nortley, who we have to thank for the remarkable short film Zion, says: "Black screenwriters can improve the representation of black females on TV by simply being great writers and applying the due diligence and care needed to cultivate any believable character in a narrative to their black characters. This should maybe come from a sense of responsibility not only to their race, but also to their art as writers."
Hopefully, the next time I see a trailer starring a black female protagonist, her accent will be British. Reported by guardian.co.uk 9 hours ago.