black actors
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Sundance 2021: A List of Black Movies to Watch While You’re in the (Virtual) White Mountains
I’m salty. As The Root’s Staff entertainment writer, one of the most exciting aspects of my job is being able to travel to a lot of cool places. In fact, the Sundance Film Festival typically kicks off the year of traveling shenanigans within my beat. In 2020, I flew to Park City, Utah to cover…
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Leonard Roberts Calls Out Heroes and Hollywood: 'People Get Scared When Black People Demand Things'
The “Hollywood Reckoning” may have been used as a buzz phrase this year, but it is more than just abstract. It involves the very real lives of Black actors and crew members who have endured (often silently, in order to survive financially) countless microaggressions, full-out racism and other toxic incidents at work. Leonard Roberts is…
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Did Y'all Know Vanessa Williams Improvised That Iconic 'F-ck the Family' Line in Soul Food?
Thanksgiving has come and gone, but we have yet another upcoming reason to sit down and eat a smorgasbord of ‘itis-inducing food. That’s right, we have Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and more this month! In the spirit of this deliciously heavy food, we need to take a trip down memory lane to the 1997 classic, Soul…
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The Forty-Year-Old Version Writer, Director and Actor Radha Blank to Be Honored With 2020 Sundance Vanguard Award
The incredibly talented force known as Radha Blank is 2020’s Sundance Vanguard Award recipient. Blank’s feature film directorial debut, The Forty-Year-Old Version made its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was later acquired by Netflix. The multi-hyphenate not only directed the Sundance darling but wrote and starred in it, too. The award,…
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Let's Stay Together and Pitch Actor Bert Belasco Dies at 38, Peers Honor Him on Social Media
Bert Belasco, who co-starred in BET’s Let’s Stay Together and Fox’s Pitch, has died at the age of 38. According to BET, the actor was found dead on Sunday, Nov. 8. A cause of death has not yet been officially reported. Variety reports: Belasco, who lived in Woodland Hills, Calif., was in Virginia filming for…
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Just As I Am: The Autobiography of Miss Cicely Tyson Will Bless Us in 2021
In 1974, Cicely Tyson simultaneously earned her first and second Primetime Emmy awards (for Best Lead Actress in a Drama and Actress of the Year – Special) as well as a BAFTA (for Best Actress in a Leading Role) for her starring role in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. She would win her third…
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Well, This Is Major: Jonathan Majors Covers October's GQ
There are many qualities to love in HBO’s Lovecraft Country. There’s the centering—and survival—of Black characters and other nonwhites in the horror/fantasy genre; there’s the magnificent acting; there are the jaw-dropping special effects and period costuming; not to mention the historically relevant Easter eggs peppered throughout. It’s no wonder showrunner and co-creator Misha Green is…
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Chadwick Boseman's Choice to Keep His Cancer Diagnosis Private Was Inspired by His Mother, Says His Agent
When it was announced that Chadwick Boseman had died after a years-long battle with colon cancer, many fans and peers alike were stunned to learn he’d been suffering from the terminal disease. In a recent cover story for the Hollywood Reporter honoring the late actor, Boseman’s agent Michael Green opened up a bit about just…
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The 72nd Emmys Awards Are Definitely Happening—What Else Is Still Happening in 2020? Black History Firsts!
An awards season day in the life of a Black creator or a Black person interested in entertainment/award ceremonies goes a little something like this: Black person is nominated for or wins a big deal award. Black people rejoice (on Twitter, etc.) because we’re rooting for everybody Black. Black people find out that Black history…
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Gina Prince-Bythewood Speaks on the 'Black Female Gaze' Contributing to KiKi Layne's 'Integral' Part in The Old Guard
What does it look like to have a badass summer action flick brought to the screen through the eyes of an equally badass black woman? Well, it looks like The Old Guard. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Old Guard is based on the acclaimed graphic Greg Rucka novel of the same name. The synopsis for…