Marsai Martin revealed she won’t do projects that deal with Black pain.
The actress and producer told The Hollywood Reporter that she has a rule about the types of projects she will produce.
“I have a couple of rules when you come into my office,” she said. “When you come into my office don’t give me this–I don’t do Black pain. If it’s Black pain I don’t go for it because there’s so many films and projects about that, so that’s not who I am.”
Martin’s comments bring light to the ongoing conversation film viewers are having about the number of Hollywood projects about Black pain and trauma that get greenlit. While showing the brutal side of Black history is important, a lot of viewers are facing fatigue at constantly seeing Black death on-screen, particularly in the midst of real-life traumatic experiences happening to the Black community.
Martin, therefore, is a bright spot in Hollywood for dedicating her platform to uplifting Black joy. Her latest project, Saturdays, is coming to the Disney Channel, so she is living up to her creed of giving Black girls content that makes them feel happy rather than sad.
