For years, African Americans have fallen victim to the deeply rooted racism in Hollywood, which is displayed in typecast roles and whitewashed stories. However, amid the widespread success of black creatives and blockbusters, more Hollywood hotshots have opened up to the push for more black stories. But, the increase has seemingly become a gift and a curse for those who nail historical pieces, as it can open the opportunity for more work and also limit the opportunity for growth.
In fact, Michael B. Jordan opened up about the circumstances at Saturday’s Produced By conference, in which he explained his outstanding portrayal of Oscar Grant III, who was a victim of police brutality, led to a slew of other biographical opportunities.
“Every historical black figure have come across my desk,” Jordan said, adding that “As much as I would love to play all of them, I can’t,” he said.
While Jordan was able to move forward without a multitude of biopics under his belt, other actors like Chadwick Boseman, who’s been cast as Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall, felt he just couldn’t say no.
“All of them were different situations…it’s not like I’m necessarily looking for important Black figures,” he told Entertainment Weekly at the time. “Like James Brown, it just kept calling me at a certain point when I was saying no; it was like James Brown was calling me himself. And Jackie Robinson, there was no way in the world I wasn’t going to do that. So, it was sought after not just by me but by a lot of people. They all were a little bit different in how they came to me,” Boseman said.
Although Boseman’s career also reached new heights thanks to “Black Panther,” which also featured Jordan, situations like these are what motivate Jordan and his new production company, Outlier Society Production Company, in an effort to prove that “both fun and socially aware films can be impactful,” Complex reports.
“We try to balance that as much as you can, to run a company where it’s not its entire identity but, at the same time, it’s an important silo and something that we care about. I don’t want it to be just a Black film, but a high caliber piece of work that people don’t see that often.”
