The effects of the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the death of George Floyd continue to be felt in different areas, such as the film and entertainment industry. Actors and entertainers are now more empowered to speak up, with the latest to do so being Zoe Kravitz.
The Hollywood Reporter says Kravitz made comments about streaming service Hulu’s lack of programming diversity by responding to fellow actress Tessa Thompson’s comment on her own Instagram post.
Kravitz had posted about the cancelation of her show, High Fidelity, on Hulu. While Thompson, for her part, said that she would miss the show so much. Kravitz then remarked that Hulu at least had other shows starring women of color.
As pointed out by Vogue, Kravitz was being sarcastic, as Hulu only has one other show in its lineup that features a woman of color as the lead character. That show is Little Fires Everywhere, with Kerry Washington in the lead.
Hulu does have other shows that have people of color in the lead, but they are all male. These shows include the recently-renewed Love, Victor with a Latinx lead, Ramy starring Muslim actor Ramy Youssef, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga, which has a predominantly black cast.
Kravitz’s sarcasm and disappointment are understandable considering how well-received the show was among audiences and critics alike. Vogue credits Kravitz as saying that she has received a number of supportive DMs and tweets from people who feel that High Fidelity has given them the representation that they need.
Aside from Thompson, another celebrity that has expressed their support for the show is Lean Waithe, who said High Fidelity was one of the few shows that really impressed her. Mindy Kaling said the cancelation was sad news, while Reese Witherspoon said she loved the show.
Thompson is just the latest Black celebrity to speak out about inequalities present for Black people in the film and entertainment industry. During the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, Michael B. Jordan called on Hollywood to include things like an inclusion rider which allows actors to demand diversity in front and behind the camera of productions he is a part of.
Jordan also called for more content from Black creatives, in companies run by Black consultants and Black executives. The actor also called on Hollywood to commit to funding Black organizations, Black cultural leaders, companies, and brands.
Beyoncé also called out the sexism and racism she encountered during the course of her career during her speech for YouTube’s Dear Class of 2020.