When you look at the history of black sitcoms, they're all predicated upon the, quote, "black experience." And therefore, much of the humor is predicated on being black. Malcolm-Jamal Warner Malcolm-Jamal Warner on the history of black sitcoms April 15, 2015 Source: NPR, 2014
So I always encourage people to, if they want to really work on getting into this business, to be writers first. Don't worry about being an actor first, be a writer. Create something. Own it and then you, you know, the world is yours. You can really dictate the terms of how that will happen and that's only going to happen because unique, creative, interesting voices and stories are coming up, you know. Don't try to run down the same lane that people have done before, you know. Don Cheadle
The pickings are slim and that makes it really hard for us as Black women, and in general. It’s tough for us. We ultimately get competitive ’cause it’s only two parts, and we’re all competing for those two parts. Rutina Wesley
So I always encourage people to, if they want to really work on getting into this business, to be writers first. Don't worry about being an actor first, be a writer. Create something. Own it and then you, you know, the world is yours. You can really dictate the terms of how that will happen and that's only going to happen because unique, creative, interesting voices and stories are coming up, you know. Don't try to run down the same lane that people have done before, you know. Don Cheadle
But it's worth the fight because we have to get more stories out there and put people of color in every genre so that it becomes normal. Gina Prince-Bythewood
So I was the third girl out, but I had a master’s in fine arts when I went to New York and started, so. Loretta Devine
In the last two years, we've made greater strides than we ever have in the past toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization through admitting new members and more inclusive classes of members. And, personally, I would love to see and look forward to see a greater cultural diversity among all our nominees in all of our categories. Cheryl Boone Isaacs
And there are almost no black women in film. You can go to whole movies and not see one black woman. They'll throw a black guy a bone. OK, here's a black guy. But is there a single black woman in Interstellar? Or Gone Girl? Birdman? The Purge? Neighbors? I'm not sure there are. I don't remember them. I go to the movies almost every week, and I can go a month and not see a black woman having an actual speaking part in a movie. That's the truth. Chris Rock
I wasn't interested in making a white-savior movie; I was interested in making a movie centered on the people of Selma. Ava DuVernay
I don't think of myself as a lady humorist. I just have boobs and parts that allow me to give birth to children, but I like to be funny with the boys and the girls. Maya Rudolph
I think diversity is something that should be celebrated because it’s who we are as a world, and little kids need to be able to turn on the TV and see real-world representations of themselves. It’s very important. You need that representation. Octavia Spencer
I bring something to the table as a woman; I bring something to the table as a woman of color. So I feel like, if it’s the only thing you focus on, then it’s a danger, and if you never talk about it then it’s a danger. Kerry Washington
I've tried to explain to a lot of interviewers that Celie has nothing to do with the black experience. It's like, they were saying Celie is black and you are black and so you have all these things in common. Celie could be Oriental, Puerto Rican, and these same specific things could have happened to her. Whoopi Goldberg
That pain is how you know you’re doing it right. Put your art first and expand your definition of self. Learn as much as you can in your craft. It’s all about the craft, craft, craft, craft, craft. Ryan Michelle Bathe
It's so rare that you get to see a black man be something other than in control of his emotions. Gregory Hines
There's nothing but comedies, and I'm tired of all these black men in dresses. Every other movie has a black man in a dress, from the Madea movies to Norbit to Big Momma. How come nobody's protesting that? John Singleton
I’m all about not having race as a factor. To me, it should just be about the best actor for the part. Who cares if the lead is an Asian male? If this is the best actor for that role, why does the role have to be indicative of a person’s ethnicity? Octavia Spencer
If, in fact, I have, in some way, been the inspiration for any of them, I will feel that I have accomplished what I set out to do, and that is to break the mold and the concept that limited people’s vision of what we, as black women, or black actresses, could do in this business. Cicely Tyson
So, just as "The Jeffersons" or "Good Times" or Tyler Perry cannot represent all black people, neither can the Huxtables. Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Well, those who have turned against him, it's because they're ignorant or it doesn't serve their own interest, which probably has to do with money. Stevie Wonder
I think in a lot of our films there's a romanticizing of slavery. If you look at 'Gone With The Wind' it was the good old days of slavery when everyone got along, which is, you know, not how it really went down. Kerry Washington
And they said, well, if you're going to be a star, people aren't asking for you, they're asking for this image of you. And so that's kind of what, you know, was done. They began to transform me into an image. Donna Summer
But I think finally TV and film are catching up with the diversity that is the global community and the fact that people want to see themselves reflected on TV. Gabrielle Union
And I'm the only one who has made ghetto movies that are classy, and that inform upon what people are going through. My films are not just excuses to make a rap soundtrack. And they’re not these chitlin’ movies either. John Singleton
But I think in due time, America will get tired of them and will go back to a different format as far as television. Ving Rhames
Some black filmmakers will say, 'I don't want to be considered a black filmmaker, I'm a filmmaker.' I don't think that. I'm a black woman filmmaker. Ava DuVernay
It has always been my mission to get people to understand that we are also human, that we are human beings with all the nuts and bolts of being human. Cicely Tyson
As much as we like to think we're liberals, society has this underlying bed of racism. It's like this thing I keep hearing about my 'entourage.' If Michael J. Fox walks into a restaurant with his friends, it's Michael J. Fox and his guests. When Eddie Murphy walks into a room with his friends, it's like, 'Oh, my, it's Eddie Murphy—and his entourage.' Eddie Murphy
Create your own show. Get on YouTube. Do what you did. The door is open now, but quit trying to go viral, just do what you do. Sinbad
Stay on it, stay strong on your path. Many will say no, and that’s okay cause all it takes is that one yes. After that it will all start happening. You can’t give up. Don’t compare your acting life with others. We all mature as actors on different times and levels. Go after your dreams with all you’ve got and then some, because success is waiting for YOU, just around the corner. Anthony Anderson
It's just a strange thing when you look at what the boundary of acceptable and not acceptable is on television. We shoot people in the head in just about every episode. We can't get away with saying certain words. There definitely seems to be an interesting double standard. Jordan Peele
African-Americans are not a monolithic group. So, we tend to talk about the black community, the black culture, the African-American television viewing audience, but there are just as many facets of us as there are other cultures. Malcolm-Jamal Warner
This is a business where, if you’re looking for consistency and dependability in your work, this is not the career for you. Kerry Washington
I remember when Black-ish came out so many people were terrified of what it might be, simply cause the title was Black-ish. And it turned out to be brilliant and part of this movement. Malcolm Spellman
We as African-American artists are more concerned with image and message and not execution which is why every time you see your images they’ve been watered down to the point where they are not realistic at all. Viola Davis
'Cosby Show' wasn’t nothing but showing white folks how lovely niggas are. They can go to bed happy when the show went off. Dick Gregory
I feel that African-Americans in any story are defined too often as housekeepers and facilitators. Viola Davis
The industry believes that the only thing they can sell is segregation and the victimization of black people. But I think because of television, maybe that might change. Joe Morton
I really don't think there's any difference between what black audiences find funny and what white audiences find funny, but everyone likes to see themselves onscreen, so there are some instances where there's a black audience laughing at something that a white audience wouldn't laugh at because a black audience is really just happy to see itself. Chris Rock
It becomes almost allegorical in nature. I don’t want to be an allegory. I feel the most revolutionary thing I can do is create narratives where you see a fully realised human being. Viola Davis
I think it's important for both the community but also the world to see people of color in all genres, especially love stories. Gina Prince-Bythewood
It’s always wonderful to go to the theater and turn on the TV and see a bunch of faces that look like yours, and to kind of rejoice and celebrate that. But at the same time, it would be really great if we didn’t have to celebrate that, if this were the case just on a regular basis and that this was status quo. And it isn’t. Taye Diggs
To be an African American in a play where you’re talking about race and identity and you are not the center of that conversation as an African American is a brand new thing. Karen Pittman
The black artist cannot live in a revisionist place. The black artist can only tell the truth about humanity, and humanity is messy. People are messy. Caucasian actors know that. Viola Davis
