Black women who just love themselves some Denzel Washington are going to be upset over this one. If you thought the reason Denzel Washington never kissed white women in the movies was because of his love and appreciation of black women, you were wrong. Turns out that the real reason Denzel never kissed white women was because white men weren’t having it.
There was a long-standing belief that the reason Washington did so few interracial romantic scenes was not to offend black women, who are his core audience and greatest admirers.
Kelly Lynch, a white actress who starred with Washington in “Virtuosity” in 1995, reportedly gave a different reason during an interview with the A.V. Club in October.
“He said, ‘You know what, Kelly? I hate to say it, but, you know, white men bring women to movies, and they don’t want to watch a black man with their woman,’ ” she said.
For his part, Washington has noted that Hollywood, historically, was reluctant to put interracial relationships on the big screen, that he has no problem with it but won’t do it just for the sake of getting a reaction out of viewers.
But he’s done it now.
In Washington’s new film ‘Flight’ the actor kisses a white women and, according to a writer who watched the flick at one of the first showings, the mood of the entire audience shifted when Denzel puckered up to his white co-star.
I haven’t seen the movie but the synopsis makes it sound as if I’m not missing out on anything:
Two black women are cast as little more than stereotypical, long-suffering backdrops — an ex-wife whose heart has been broken by a selfish, lying, drunk black man [played by Washington]; and a religious-minded flight attendant whom the black man morally corrupts by persuading her to lie for him.
On the other hand, the character played by Reilly [Washington's love interest] turns out to be the black man’s saving grace, pointing him on the road to salvation. And when he strays, he is forced back in line by another white woman. She’s a federal investigator — and the only woman in the movie tough and savvy enough to get Washington to be honest with himself, to do what the black women could not.
I wondered why I had hardly heard anything about a new Denzel Washington flick coming out–well, now I know why. Normally every black woman in America would have been promoting a Denzel movie but I can see how those core supporters would have been turned off after seeing the movie–assuming that the on-screen romance between Washington and his paramour comes off as stiff and unbelievable as the reviewers have been proclaiming.
Black women might be mad at Denzel for a minute, but they’ll be back.
[Source: Washington Post]
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Follow Jamila on Twitter @jamilaakil
shayshay
Step One: Look at the site title
Step Two: Assume the women here know a thing or two about interracial relationships
Step Three: Read the TOS
Step Four: Go make yourself some tea and get yourself together. It's a web discussion, it's not that deep.
For people with reading comprehension difficulties: Jamila isn't asking you be mad at anyone. Black women on this site are VERY familiar with people being mad at their own dating choices. Yes it may be 2013, but if people were as comfortable with black women being open to IRR as black men, this site wouldn't exist and neither would others like it. Period.
Anyway, this article is more or less addressed at a different group of black women (as it has been said may times that we are NOT a monolith): Women who hate the idea of black men being with non-black women and who pitch a fit over it.
Yes, there are many stereotypes lobbed at black women in those situations, usually as undesirable when compared to non-black women, or we're made invisible all together. And yes, a lot of black women are sick of it, even if they don't give a damn about who black men date. So don't get it twisted.
Godspeed.
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