One only had to witness actress Terri J. Vaughn become overwhelmed with emotion when she described the wonderful working conditions on the set of “Meet the Browns” at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, to get a sense of how bad the landscape is for black women in Hollywood.
Vaughn, the co-host of the annual Black Women Film Network’s annual Untold Stories Awards Luncheon in Atlanta, is actually hosting a viewing of her documentary “Angels Can’t Help But Laugh” where she probes 25 black actresses about their Hollywood hardships.
Here are what some of the attendees at the awards luncheon said about black women in film: Terri J. Vaughn, co-star, “Meet the Browns”: “My opinion of the state of black women in Hollywood? You know, the opportunities are far and few in between. The images are very limited. … I think that people are writing for us. But I think the opportunities to get them made are not favorable. For whatever reason, white men or white people in Hollywood don’t think that we’re marketable.”
Sheryl Riley Gripper, founder of the Black Women Film Network (formerly the Black Women Film Project):
“We’re excited about our 14th year in the community, and our new name represents our commitment to serving as a continued support for black women and black filmmakers and artists, in general. Our scholarship, panels, workshops, film festivals, book festivals, ‘reel’ networking affairs and annual awards luncheon are all intended to be resources that help move Atlanta’s cinematic, mass media and entertainment arts forward as these industries continue to thrive in the region. We also use our awards luncheon to celebrate those who are arts advocates, particularly in the areas of film, mass media and entertainment arts.”
Actress-director Jasmine Guy: “I feel reborn here [in Atlanta]. My biggest thing about moving to Atlanta, was my ability to work here. And I haven’t stopped working since I moved here. And because of the work that I’ve done here, I feel alive. I feel fulfilled. I felt like I was dying like a rotted orange on the grounds of L.A.”
Roger Bobb, executive vice president of Tyler Perry Studios and producer of “Meet the Browns” and “House of Payne”: Black women in film don’t have as much success as black men do. And that goes across the board when you think about white Hollywood and black Hollywood. Here’s the amazing thing — when you think about a black woman who can open a film, I mean they will green-light the film because of her presence in the film — you know there’s only one person, and that’s Madea. That’s amazing to say that, but I‘ve actually had studio heads say that to me. Now you do have some exceptions — Halle Berry and Queen Latifah. But after that, the list goes way down. But that’s what we do at Tyler Perry Studios. We have to establish our own actors and make them stars.” –terry shropshire
Left to right in the photo above: Sheryl Riley Gripper, founder of the Black Women Film Project, now renamed the Black Women Film Network; actress Terri J. Vaughn; Roger Bobb, executive vice president of Tyler Perry Studios; 11Alive News anchor Karyn Greer
