Yahoo Movies Stargirl's Anjelika Washington opens up on blackface experience with stunt double
Stargirl's Anjelika Washington has opened up about her shocking experience with a blackface stunt double.
The actress didn't specify on which show the incident occurred, but she did share that it happened in 2017 on her fourth acting job.
Taking to Instagram, Washington shared an uncomfortable image of herself with her white stunt double in blackface, revealing in the caption that she was told by one of the producers that she should just be thankful to be working.
"I was very uncomfortable (as anyone would be to meet your double in blackface) so I spoke up for myself,” she wrote.
"I pulled one of our producers aside and asked, ‘Why isn’t my stunt double Black like me? Isn’t that the point of a double? She responded, ‘Sure. But we couldn’t find a Black stunt double in L.A. Los Angeles doesn’t have many Black stunt performers. But aren’t you happy to be working? You should be thankful to be here.'"
Related: Why Mad Men isn't removing blackface episode
She continued: "There’s this oppressive thing that often happens when everyone and everything are ran by white people on sets (and in any industry) where they try to manipulate POC into just being GRATEFUL to be there.
"They do this to us because they know that they literally run the show. They feel like a saviour for giving a young Black girl a role in their show, even though most times it’s just to check a box.
"They often don’t check to see if we are comfortable with what they are asking of us, they often call us unprofessional or a diva for advocating for ourselves, and most times they get away with paying us way less than our costars. This is why being inclusive and hiring POC in front of the camera and behind it is extremely imperative."
Washington went on to say that her stunt double wasn't used in the end, since she performed well enough in her action scenes. However, she felt compelled to be "better than great" to ensure her blackface double wasn't needed.
A post shared by Anjelika Washington (@anjelikaw) on Jul 15, 2020 at 10:44pm PDT
In a follow-up comment to her post, she added: "I am vowing to never ever allow these types of micro & macro aggressions to happen to me again. And you should not either.
"We must value ourselves higher even if they call us a diva. We must use our voice even if they call us loud. We must demand equality even if they call us ungrateful. The next generation depends on us. #blacklivesmatter."
Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Looking for more TV recommendations and discussion? Head over to our Facebook Group to see new picks every day, and chat with other readers about what they're watching right now.
You Might Also Like
