Will smith not black enough

With the film industry already grappling with a diversity crisis and people calling for more opportunities for minorities and women, will smith not black enough, the colorism debate appears to have taken this one step further. Critics of the casting announcement felt that the decision to choose Will Smith over other actors including Don Cheadle or Idris Elba was a mistake and that his skin tone was not dark enough to portray Williams:. Skin color matters in how folk were treated and navigated spaces.

By Eisa Nefertari Ulen. My heart holds all Black people everywhere, even when we are neck-deep in foolishness, especially when we are near drowning in pain. Oscar night was some foolishness. Oscar night was also painful. We Black folk often enough feel that we are near drowning, as we remain locked in a system that marginalizes us. The film industry has, historically, swirled us around just enough to get a taste of Blackness and, soon enough, spit us out. Hollywood is a beast, and I have nothing but compassion for all three of my people caught in the backwash of the Oscars.

Will smith not black enough

Hollywood and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences have been trying to do better since then. As they see it, the casting is colorism in action. Those who are lighter head to the top rung, while the darker ones languish at the bottom. Colorism is a significant problem in Hollywood, especially with black performers. Directors, producers and casting agents often seem to favor biracial and light-skinned blacks, presumably because they are closer to the idealized white beauty standard and therefore more acceptable to white audiences. Not only does it have two black actors in central roles, but both are dark-skinned. One character is gay and the other is straight. So is Smith snagging the Richard Williams role a step back? It feels more like a sideways move. Some have suggested that Mahershala Ali or Idris Elba would have been more suitable choices. They were indivisible from her narrative.

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Earlier this week, it was reported that Will Smith could be starring in a new project called King Richard, telling the story of Richard Williams, the father of tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams. While Smith has yet to confirm the news, it didn't stop fans from tweeting their excitement about the idea of the star portraying such an accomplished man. But there were a few who weren't so pleased with the choice, and not because they were questioning the star's talent, but because his skin tone isn't considered dark enough. In recent years, Hollywood has made progress in representing minorities on screen, yet we still find ourselves circling around the issue of colourism. This article contains content provided by Twitter.

Hollywood and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences have been trying to do better since then. As they see it, the casting is colorism in action. Those who are lighter head to the top rung, while the darker ones languish at the bottom. Colorism is a significant problem in Hollywood, especially with black performers. Directors, producers and casting agents often seem to favor biracial and light-skinned blacks, presumably because they are closer to the idealized white beauty standard and therefore more acceptable to white audiences. Not only does it have two black actors in central roles, but both are dark-skinned. One character is gay and the other is straight. So is Smith snagging the Richard Williams role a step back? It feels more like a sideways move.

Will smith not black enough

The influence of family can never be understated, especially when it comes to art. Not only has he experienced this through the lessons taught to him by his family, but the award-winning entertainer has used them to help raise children that have also become more conscious artists in their own right. Back in November , Smith was on tour with his autobiography Will , which saw him making select stops to promote his life story. That was until his grandmother Gigi caught a hold of his lyrics, which led to the following story which CinemaBlend was present to hear first hand:. I had the black and white speckled school book, and I was putting all my rhymes in there. And, you know, I was 12 years old, so I was letting it rip a little bit.

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Where was the nuanced consideration for the fact that his wife was just humiliated in front of the world over an illness that she has no control over? And prior to the last few years , he was one of a few celebrities who had made it to the peak of their careers virtually scandal-free. For failing to stand up to my father. Oscar night was some foolishness. Most viewed. Business Yahoo Finance. It is hard to be a Black woman and not know someone who suffers from this autoimmune disease. Williams must have been up against seemingly insurmountable racism while trying to break his daughters into the predominantly white world of tennis, but if any of the Williamses suffered the distinct disadvantages of colorism, it would have been the far more visible Venus and Serena. Amandla Stenberg and Zendaya, two of Hollywood's most sought-after talents, often speak out about their light-skin "privilege". March 7, AM. But to many Black people, it was about more than a slap or an insult. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day.

Will Smith said that his socioeconomic status played a part in the criticism he faced when he entered the hip-hop world as a teen.

Read full article. Image source, Getty Images. Substitute Jada for Janie, place her in L. Meaning, Chris Rock should have never, ever let that joke come out his mouth. It was like casting Cardi B to play a young Aretha Franklin. Jeremy Helligar. While dark-skinned slaves had more gruelling work outdoors on the plantations, their light-skinned counterparts usually worked indoors doing more domestic tasks - this preferential treatment occurred because light-skinned slaves were often the product of white slave owners raping their female slaves. Still, times have changed. Ayanna Pressley, as you advocate for marginalized people everywhere in this country. Cory Booker, D-N. The title character's light-skinned girlfriend Gina was fun-loving, cool-headed and professional whereas her best friend and assistant, Pam, was more-or-less portrayed as the opposite. More content below. From curse-free rap lyrics to his tender, nuanced portrayals of complicated characters, Smith has been a darling of mainstream Hollywood for a very long time. TV and film throughout the decades have offered up a plethora of stereotypes and tropes we've grown accustomed to, such as the mean, popular girls in school or the sassy black friend - and this same logic can be applied to the way certain skin tones have been perceived on screen.