There are headlines aplenty on diversity in Hollywood at the moment. But as Viola Davis pointed out backstage at the SAG Awards on Saturday, diversity “has become a trending topic. It’s not.”
So aside from the recent Academy pledges, is there actual change happening on the ground in Hollywood? On the red carpet, two Straight Outta Compton stars said yes.
“Absolutely,” said Neil Brown Jr., who plays DJ Yella in Compton. “I just finished a movie where I played a role that’s a biopic, and it was supposed to be a big tall white dude. And, you know, they cast me. I don’t know if you know this,” he grinned, “but I’m not a big, tall white dude.”
His Iraq war film, Sand Castle, opposite Henry Cavill, is due this fall. “Proof’s in the pudding,” he said. “I mean, we’re talking about it and that’s a step in the right direction, right?”
Source: USA Today | Andrea Mandell
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