Essay: The Effects of Race in Hollywood

In the world of Hollywood and film today, now more than ever, it seems that every film on the release slate is hotly anticipated. Big budget blockbuster movies and lucrative multi instalment film franchises, are all the rage, in a media that seems to be ever changing with technology and popular demand.  However in a world seemingly ever evolving in terms of technology and content, one aspect of popular film and television remains to move along with the times, race.
The issue of race is one that has throughout history, affected many different fields and careers of study, but none more so then that of actors and actresses of race or different sexual orientation.  In a world where everything is supposedly “equal” and “fair” recent studies and evidence begs me to ask the question, does race affect Hollywood careers?  The answer to that question is yes, undoubtedly. When big names in the world of film and television are nominated for the Academy Awards it is due to the work in films they’ve done over that year.
Those films usually include movies about extreme emotional drama, survival or celebrity.  Historical figure/ historical event biopic all have one thing in common, they almost always have a male, white, heterosexual leading actor.  In a chart by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA: “2015 Hollywood Diversity Report” the percentages of diversity in Hollywood, as of 2016, was eye opening. In leading films 83% were white while only 17% were minority. As far as leading Hollywood Directors and Writers, 82% and 88% were white, respectively, and as for Directors of color and Writers only 18% and 12% percent were represented.  Finally, show creators for broadcast and cable TV were 94% and 89 % white, with 6 to 11 % minority. The results excluding the percentages for female to male ratios is staggering by itself. The simple fact of the matter is that even today we are still dealing with racial barriers and norms. When you see a movie, you are supposed to walk out of that theater having related to someone or something represented in film. We have for decades upon decades had accurate representations of life of the standard upper middle class white family, living in the suburbs, going on wacky and crazy adventures. That simply isn’t how life is represented for everyone else. Shows like the Cosby show and Family Matters were just not accurate representations of what the African American population went through in those years. The issue of “whiteness in Hollywood” and movies and stories, “white washing” the cast despite the story calling for performers of color and race, are the norm. This in an industry that has been predominantly white for the majority of my life and the lives of minority actors and actresses in Hollywood.
Only 17 percent of the ethnic minorities who make up nearly 40 percent of the United States population, have received leading roles. In recent years however in films and television, there have been more projects in the comic book and superhero film genre, which seems to be ever more increasing and growing in popularity and demand. Companies like Marvel Studios at Disney, and the online streaming service company Netflix, have collaborated and recently produced shows like “Marvel’s Luke Cage,” which features a predominately African American cast of actors, and the newly announced, “Black Panther” film from Marvel, about the African hero from the fictional African city of Wakanda.  Original Netflix shows like the “The Get Down” which depicted the decline of disco and rise of hip hop in the late 1970’s, accurately and beautifully blended historical events and depictions of African American life in the Bronx in the 70’s, along with a captivating fictional story about a particular subject matter in history.  While a few of these examples may answer my question, and shed a brighter light on an otherwise lingering, and often reoccurring problem in the film industry, a statement like “there no longer exist prejudice for race in the film industry,” can never be stated and proven as fact in light of recent years’ Academy Awards Nominee line up, and films submitted for the Oscars. With films like the 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, “SELMA” or Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler’s Rocky revival boxing film “Creed,” none of these films, actors, and directors were nominated for any Academy Awards in the past few years. This makes me wonder if there can ever really be an answer that’s anything less than negative. In an article by Laura Santhanam and Megan Crigger from PBS.org’s News Hour segment, “The Rundown,” studies from the researchers at the University of Southern California have shown that “For Nearly a Decade, Diversity in Film Remain Largely Unchanged.” They found that film makers for seven hundred of the top grossing films from 2013 to 2015 they analyzed had virtually not made the slightest bit of progress, in portraying characters, and providing jobs for actors and performers who other wise associated as having an ethnic background. The problem seems to be that the majority top billed and most wanted leading men in Hollywood, guaranteed to get patrons in seats and sell tickets, are mostly white, and usually male. Characters like Tonto from 2013’s “The Lone Ranger” who typically is seen as a Native American character in the original source material are white washed with actors like Johnny Depp. These actors’ portrayal of them on the big screen takes those roles away from brilliant actors from that specific ethnic background. We continue to see this in other big budget Hollywood films like 2010’s “Prince of Persia” with Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role.  Another example is the 2015 Biblical epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, the story of Moses freeing the slaves from Egypt.  This story would call for actors of Hebrew and Egyptian decent, but the two leading men for that film were none other than Joel Edgerton, and Christian Bale.
The fact of the matter is that the people in charge pulling the strings, the Academy Award members and Hollywood executives are all mostly middle aged white men.  Researchers in that same study from the University of Southern California have found that “Among the ranks of top Hollywood film Executives,” the report states, “the corps of CEOs and/or chairs running the 18 studios examined was 94 percent white and 100 percent male.” So it would make sense why the ratio and percentage of Actors and Actresses from different ethnicities and races is always up and down. It still seems to be a problem that Hollywood and the Academy are particularly unaware of, more and more recently female dominated shows and films like “The Hunger Games,” and divergent series which promote strong female heroines. Popular fantasy shows like HBO’s “Game of Thrones’,” recent season have been very female dominated but still the problem of race  remains.
In the PBS.org news hour “The Rundown” segment studies showed that “Of the top 100 films of 2014-2015, nearly three-quarters of all characters were white.  Only 17 of the top movies that year featured non-white lead or co-lead actors.” It simply appears to be a constant back and forth as far as race is concerned in Hollywood. With all of the progress made, and demand from the ethnic demographic of the world, you would think that by now, being an African American Actor in the film Industry would be a nonissue. However this is not the case and I am automatically put at a disadvantage. The fact that Hollywood knows about the problem and that goes back and forth is an issue it seems in and of itself.
A few of the notable African American actors like Will Smith and his Wife Jada Pinket-Smith stated their protest on the subject by purposefully not attending this year’s Academy Awards. The answer to my question however isn’t for there to be films and television shows with fewer white or male leading actors, but for there to simply be opportunities and roles for actors and actresses of all races and ethnic backgrounds. The answer also could lie in the fact, that a majority of Academy Award voting members are all male and white and only vote to nominate male white actors for seasoned cold emotional heart wrenching dramas. The problem keeping me from a plausible answer is that there is simply limited to no diversity in the film and television industry, and in the Academy Awards.
As an Actor and artist who loves his craft, along with many other of my peers of other and similar ethnic backgrounds who love this craft just as much, this is bitter sweet. What as an actor should I aspire to be? What are my goals? It opens up a world of possibilities and a whole new set of questions that’s are at the same level, but also go beyond the question of “Does race affect careers in acting?” From my research I would have to say yes. Race, from my point of view, and studies of privilege and majority vs. minority, shows that careers in general can be impacted by race. As an actor from an ethnic background other than white, for me it means having to work that much harder in order to find success in the fields of study that interests me.
With multi-million dollar film franchises there may also be a question of whether or not a part of the issue is lack of creativity in Hollywood. Over the last 4 to 5 years there have been endless remakes, sequels and prequels. Lack of original story telling largely impacts the chances of diversity in the film industry with fan uproar when a comic book or film counterpart of a characters race is changed or altered. Although recently, Disney’s latest slate of remakes from their classic animated movies like The Jungle Book, Mulan, a Gene spin off film from Aladdin and other films which are getting the live action reboot or sequel treatment, could open doors and opportunities for more actors and actresses of ethnic background. Every now and then there seem to be some exceptions with some formats of entertainment, animation, and CGI projects like the Upcoming computer animated movie, “Moana,” from Disney. This tells the story of a Pacific Islander and an ancient Polynesian demi God.  As we move closer and closer to the future of what will be modern film and performance we need to widen the norm and start providing more opportunities for successful Hollywood careers. The world needs more movie like “Selma,” more plays like “Fences,” by playwrights like August Wilson, and more revolutionary musicals like “Hamilton” and music and song writers like Lin Manuel Miranda.
In conclusion, when I see a movie or hear a story it is all about the experience and the feeling. Being able to relate to certain situations or characteristics and ways of life are integral parts of what makes or breaks a truly meaningful story telling experience. As both an audience member and actor I wish to portray and I wish to continue to see portrayed, accurate representations of life in good stories. I want there to be more opportunities for me and many others and I want it to be possible for me to have a successful film career, or any career I choose.  It’s time to move along with the times and end the problem of race prejudice in Hollywood, and see more African American leading men and women.  It’s time to move forward in an industry that is ever evolving in a world of innovative and new technologies every day. Simply put, we need more diversity in Hollywood.