STANDING ROOM ONLY!

I had the honor of serving on a panel discussion about Black Hollywood on April 3, 2014 for students at the New York Film Academy, held at Warner Bros. in Burbank, Calif.  Oh, I do love a captive audience, and those students were certainly eager beavers to soak up as much knowledge about the ins and outs of Hollywood. I shared the stage with actresses Erica Tazel,  Caryn Ward Ross  (“The Game”) along with her husband, director Craig Ross Jr. (“Motives,” “Mannsfield 12”) as well as producers D. Channsin Berry and Cheryl Bedford (“Dark Girls”}, plus director Jeff Byrd (“A Beautiful Soul,” “King’s Ransom”). Cameras rolled as each panelist spoke candidly about their experience in the industry. At times, the panel discussions got a bit rowdy, because everyone had a different point of view about certain aspects of the business. The panel discussion lasted more than two hours, and after it was over, we received a standing ovation and a fabulous gift bag! Here are some tidbits: About being a Black actress is Hollywood …

• Thanks to a story in the Hollywood Reporter with the headline: “After Oscar, What Happens to Lupita  Nyoung’o?” that got the conversation going in no time. Because of the seemingly limited roles for dark-skinned actresses, each panelist offered their commentary on the Oscar winner. After a tremendous amount of discussion and debate — which digressed to talk about her natural fade — in the end, we all agreed that Lupita is extremely talented and poised, but her look is no more “exotic” than the dark-skinned girl next door.  However, I did emphasize that her beauty and red carpet choices certainly made folks stand up and take notice, a necessary evil in the “packaging of Lupita.” And sure enough, the very next day, it was announced that Lupita is the new face of Lancome! Bam! High-fives for the dark-skinned girls! UPDATE: People Magazine just named Lupita “Most Beautiful.” Another high-five for the dark-skinned girls!
• Please note: the term “exotic” is Hollywood slang for “a pretty, dark-skinned woman” not born in the United States. Ironically, you’re considered “exotic” if you’re African or British, but not African American, born in the U.S. of A. Cray, cray, right?!
• Interestingly, Caryn, who is light-skinned with freckles, admitted that she sometimes faces challenges in casting because she’s doesn’t look “Black enough.” I was actually surprised by her comments, especially since Hollywood tends to favor her type of look.
• As a dark-skinned actress, Erica said she arrived in LA several years ago with a similar  “exotic” aesthetic to Lupita, and had to make some beauty choices because her look was not fully embraced. However, she says roles in television have been particularly kind to dark-skinned actresses. In fact, she made her tv debut in “Sex and the City.” Currently, she portrays the character Rachel Brooks on the FX hit show, “Justified.” (Side note: Raise your  hand if you love, love, love Tika Sumpter from “Gossip Girl”  and “The Haves and Haves Not.”)
• Kudos to producers D. Channsin Berry and Cheryl Bedford for scoring an NAACP Image Award nomination  for the documentary, “Dark Girls,” co-directed by Chann (everyone was calling him that, for short) and Bill Duke. The doc explores colorism, and how it affects dark-skinned, women of color from around the world.

About Black films…

• A “Black movie” is considered a  “Black movie,” if the writer, director and cast are all Black, opined Jeff. So, “12 Years a Slave,” “Ride Along,” and “Best Man” are considered bona fide “Black movies.”
• A Will Smith movie is not necessarily a “Black movie,” even though the actor is Black, and there may be other Black people in the cast. Now that’s a newsflash to me! Yes, his movies have crossover appeal, but I think there are some gray areas to that rule. For example, “Ali,” with Will, along with his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith,  Jamie Foxx, Mario Van Peebles, Jeffrey Wright; as well as  “Django Unchained” with Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson; and “Bad Boys,” co-starring Will and Martin Lawrence. Black cast. White directors.

This ‘n that …

• Not all pretty faces are discovered at Starbucks, after all, Caryn graduated from Howard University, and Erica went to Spelman College, plus has a master’s degree from New York University … and of course, Lupita went to Yale!
• Caryn and her hubby, Craig just shot a movie, “The Affair,” using the an iPhone 5 – the first Hollywood director to do so. Check out the teaser trailer below.
• Oh, I accidentally dropped the f-bomb during the discussion, but they’re going to bleep it out!

And there you have it!  You can check out more pictures on my Tumblr blog, “Rantings From the Red Carpet.” And here’s a peek at, “The Affair,” directed by Craig Ross Jr., starring Caryn Ward Ross.