It happens every year, and every year, we all (rightfully) get up in arms about it, even though we shouldn’t have expected any better. At this point, it’s like scolding your infant for making a mess; what did you think would happen? And yet, every year, you can’t help but hope for better, because they should be better, because the idea that we can have a black president but we can’t have an actress of color grace the panel of Vanity Fair that actually shows on newsstands is so utterly incomprehensible that it makes me want to egg Conde Nast in frustration.
Of course, Vanity Fair is not entirely to blame for their white-centric view of Hollywood; after all, when you think want to take the argument about the cover a step further, what actress of color would you say has more business being on the main panel of an article about young Hollywood than the once-Oscar-nominated actress playing Katniss Everdeen in what’s possibly the most highly anticipated movie of 2012? Or the currently Oscar-nominated actress portraying the endlessly fascinating Lizbeth Salander? The fact of the matter is that if you’re a woman of color under 40, you did not have a significant role in a movie this year. You probably didn’t have a significant role on TV this year either. Which, you know, is fair, because there really aren’t any young women of color out there being doctors, lawyers, students, spies, or cops, and obviously supernatural beings are always white, right? It’s, like, in their rule book. Besides, when you have a character like Katniss who was obviously white in the books, it’s important to stick to that for the movie. Oh wait, what? She wasn’t white in the books? How interesting!
I drew the line at 40 because the inclusion of 36-year-old Paula Patton on that cleverly hidden second panel suggests that’s where VF draws theirs, but the truth of the matter is that there are far more roles out there for women of color between 35 and 40 than there are for those of the age that we would traditionally consider to be “young Hollywood.” (Which is probably why Patton’s on the same cover as actresses almost an entire generation younger than she. Lord knows they’d never need to dig into the over-35 pool to find a white actress.) There are a number of actresses of color out there in their late thirties who are absolutely killing it, at least on the small screen, from Hawaii 5-0‘s Grace Park to The Good Wife‘s Emmy-winning Archie Panjabi and Tony-winning Anika Noni Rose, Castle‘s finally-becoming-less-underused Tamala Jones to Modern Family‘s criminally hot step-matriarch Sofia Vergara.
Whom there aren’t many roles out there for are women of color who are of the age to be considered the kind of on-the-cusp breakout star 22-year-olds Mia Wasikowska and Elizabeth Olsen have become. (Although, as probably the most famous example of an obvious VF exclusion–leaving off Zoe Saldana the year she starred in both Star Trek and Avatar–shows, finding success still may not find you a VF cover.) And so, Hollywood and Vanity Fair, since you seem to be having some trouble in this area, my dear friend Slim Pickins and I would like to make a couple of suggestions for young actresses of color who should be given the opportunity to prove they are every bit as qualified to be the new generation of Hollywood as the dozen Whitey Whitersdottirs you choose every year:
Katerina Graham: Like the beautiful and talented Rashida Jones, who currently stars on the always-hilarious Parks & Rec, Graham is the product of an African-American father and an Ashkenazi Jewish mother. Also like Jones, Graham has a great set of pipes (though we certainly wouldn’t mind if she chilled the hell out with the autotune), but that’s where the similarities end. While Jones has proven to be a comedic straight-woman force to be reckoned with, Graham proves her dramatic chops week after week on the always-excellent Vampire Diaries as badass teen witch Bonnie Bennett. The artistry she lends to both her witchcraft and her grudges suggests that Graham would be excellent as a young supernatural on the side of good or evil, so Hollywood, next time you want to cast Hayden Panettiere or Jennifer Lawrence, try looking Graham’s way instead.
Jamie Chung: Okay, we hate that she got her start on Real World: San Diego as much as the next person, but Chung has proven herself to be decent at bit parts from her two seconds on Veronica Mars to her slightly larger role as the wife-to-be whose manufactured Thai roots bring the guys to Bangkok for Hangover 2. We think it’s time she got some bigger parts, don’t you? Not that Bridesmaids 2 should happen, but hey, if it happens…
Bérénice Bejo: Oh, hey, you know who’s on that cover? Shailene Woodley, from the Descendants! You know who’s not on that cover? Bérénice Bejo, who beat Woodley out for the Oscar nomination. Seriously, how do you even justify that? And don’t tell us it’s because Woodley’s on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, because we’ve seen that show, and it’s terrible. Granted, Bejo is 35, and therefore at the upper end of the “young” spectrum, but she’s still younger than Patton and therefore was definitely eligible.
Kyla Pratt: If she looks vaguely familiar, it’s probably because she’s been working in the industry for over a decade and a half–impressive when you consider that she’s only 25. However, unless you’re a big fan of the Doolittle franchise, you probably haven’t witnessed much of her work. Rather than waiting for another ten years to “discover” her as seems to keep being the case for black actresses putting in their dues with the likes of Tyler Perry and Eddie Murphy’s insane mind, how about we save us all some trouble and start putting her in some movies that actually get shown in theaters or TV shows on network channels that still exist?
Zoe Kravitz: Every year at least one “daughter of” is featured in VF’s Hollywood issue. This year it’s Lily Collins, daughter of Phil. Before her starring role in the upcoming Mirror Mirror, Collins’ only major gig was as the love interest to cardboard cutout Taylor Lautner in the horrible Abduction. Meanwhile music and film scion Zoe Kravitz (daughter of Lenny and the insanely gorgeous Lisa Bonet) has been in ten films during her five short years in the business, including this summer’s X-Men: First Class. We think that warrants a side panel on VF’s cover at least.
Kali Hawk: Appearances on The Game and Last Comic Standing helped Hawk land a co-starring role alongside Vince Vaughn and Kristen Davis in the 2009 romantic comedy Couples Retreat. Since then she’s had parts in a handful of other projects including Get Him to the Greek and Bridesmaids. Hawk is beautiful, talented and funny. Need more proof? (But honestly, WHY DO YOU NEED MORE PROOF?) Check out this Funny or Die video of Hawk and fellow underutilized actress Katerina Graham giving a shout out to their black and Jewish heritage.
Paz Vega: Often billed as the next Penelope Cruz, Vega got her start on Spanish television before breaking out in the 2001 Spanish drama Sex and Lucia.(For reals, y’all, Netflix it.) From there Vega had her first English-speaking role in 2004’s Spanglish and popped up a few years later in the independent comedy 10 Items or Less. Although Vega hasn’t done much since 2009, she is currently filming The Jesuit, written by Paul Schrader (You know, that dude who wrote the screenplays for Taxi Driver, Affliction, and American Gigolo, just to name a few.) Let’s hope this is the movie that finally launches Vega into the mainstream.
Ana de la Reguera: Like Paz Vega, Mexican actress Ana de la Reguera got her start on TV, was in a successful Spanish film in the early 2000’s and had her first English-speaking role in the oddball 2006 comedy Nacho Libre. Even with a small role in summer blockbuster (and colossal WTF?) Cowboys & Aliens, de la Reguera is probably most recognizable to American audiences as Kenny Powers’ love interest in the second season of HBO’s Eastbound and Down. And while being known as the woman who almost turned Kenny Powers into an “ass man” is quite the, uh, accomplishment, We’re sure there are parts that would better display de la Reguera’s acting chops.
(Photo sources: Vanity Fair via Jezebel, DailyMakeover, Wikipedia, IMDB, AskMen, Essence, NocheLatina)
