Sterling K. Brown is opening up about the intention behind the casting of dark-skinned actresses to play opposite him in his projects. And now we have another reason to love him.
Source: Kristina Bumphrey / Getty
During a sit-down with Refinery 29 Unbothered, the Paradise actor was asked why he makes it a point to have love interests who mirror his own complexion, to which he confirmed that the decision is a small part in counteracting the colorist casting practices in Hollywood.
“I’m aware of the sort of Eurocentric standards of beauty that tend to predominate media,” he said. “Light-skin oftentimes is seen as more beautiful than dark-skin, etc. and Brown wants to be someone that sort of shows all of the beauty that is Blackness, right? Brown don’t discriminate, to be perfectly honest with you. I understand the power of representation and how often Black women seem to feel unseen by Black men, in particular.”
He continued,
“And there’s so many sisters that are waiting for brothers to be like, ‘Hey, man, I’m here for you whatnot.” And brothers sometimes don’t tend to see them. I want them to know that SKB sees them and hopefully in the people that he chooses to be paired with onscreen or whatnot, there’s an appreciation for them and that they know that they are as beautiful as I know they are. Ooh.”
The interview coincides with his latest Hulu project “Washington Black”—a miniseries chronicling the globe-trotting adventures of a boy who escapes slavery in Barbados and ends up in Nova Scotia—in which Brown plays Medwin Harris, who plays a paternal role to the show’s lead character, George Washington “Wash” Black.
Brown has emerged as Hulu‘s crown prince as Paradise notched four Emmy awards–including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress, Outstanding Leading Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actor—due in part, to his performance as Xavier Collins. And Brown’s partnership with This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman has proven to have the Midas touch, as the pair has brought in tons of hardware from working together.
And fans will be have a nice treat as Brown’s wife, actress Ryan Michelle Bathe, will join him in the Paradise universe for season two. Though we know Bathe will join the cast, it’s not sure in what capacity as the details of the new season are being kept pretty mum but we are sure the show runners are cooking up something to have us glued to the screen. Last season ended on a cliffhanger with Brown’s Collins leaving the underground community in search of his missing wife; who was thought to have perished with the rest of humanity before the show’s villain revealed that there were survivors on the outside.
The show; however, revealed first look photos of season two with an exclusive peek via Entertainment Weekly which seems to depict that Collins has made it to the outside world safe and sound. Of course, we’ll have to wait to see whether or not he’ll be reunited with his wife.
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Felicia Ray Owens is a media founder, cultural strategist, and civic advocate who creates platforms where power meets lived truth. As the voice behind C4: Coffee. Cocktails. Culture. Conversation and the founder of FROUSA Media, she uses storytelling, public dialogue, and organizing to spotlight the issues that matter most—locally and nationally.
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