2023 ESSENCEFest: Lynn Whitfield On How Roles for Black Women in TV Dramas Changed Over the Years
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When it comes to dramatic actors and specifically Black dramatic actors, you can’t talk about the genre without mentioning the name Lynn Whitfield. From Eve’s Bayou to Greenleaf, the legendary actress has been a force onscreen for years and only continues to get better.
But as she discussed on Saturday, during SpringHill and CNN Originals’ Clips and Conversation event celebrating their forthcoming docuseries, See It Loud: The History of Black Television, roles for Black women weren’t always as complex and fully-fleshed out as they are now.
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“One of the ways that it changed is that when I started auditioning, I was auditioning for Aunjanue [Ellis] roles, and of course now it’s more complex, more mature women,” she said during a panel discussion alongside comedian Deon Cole, , series co-executive producer Courtney Whitaker and series showrunner Jodi Gomes.
“But what has happened in drama is—over the 30 or 40 years that you all are talking about—is magnificent. It’s magnificent that Shondaland came along and started talking about women who were accomplished in their own rights, in certain fields with complex lives and juicy stories and very free with their sensuality and sexuality.”
She continued:
“I think dramas early on—there was not much sensuality with Black women in television. It was kind of like the [sculptor] Michaelangelo, his women were never sexy. But the dudes were like ‘heyyyy” (laughs). So early on, I think,—not true in the movies because went to Blaxploitation and all that. But in television, they were really terrified with women’s sexuality. We got all wonderful things, but never just a woman being full of herself. And I think you see more of that now. So that is glorious. That’s the women part.
But I just think now we’ve gone from maybe the stories of our struggle, from thr struggle of outer resistance and more stories about the struggle from within. Because, I don’t know if y’all have, but I have been to Africa. We are complex all by ourselves, without anybody tampering with us. We are a complex, interesting people. And I think now in television, there’s more possibility of just talking about us without having to talk about the opposition.
In addition to the conversation, the event previewed exclusive clips from the forthcoming five-part docuseries which will explore the journey from Black television’s origins in sitcoms like The Jeffersons, to blockbuster dramas like Roots, the emerging opportunities for Black voices in sci-fi and horror, and examine the cultural impact of the reality and unscripted genre on Black culture.
See It Loud: The History of Black Television premieres Sunday, July 9 on CNN.
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