WATCH: Kerry Washington and Aziz Ansari discussing racism in Hollywood
It is very clear that the entertainment industry has an issue with race and racial representation across genres. Actors Kerry Washington (Scandal) and Aziz Ansari (Master of None) sat down for the fourth season of PBS SoCal’s and Variety’s Actors on Actors team to discuss how the lack of diversity of voices, writers, and talent in the television and film industries affects their careers.
In a candid moment, Kerry Washington makes it clear that the overwhelming whiteness of the entertainment industry is not unique to Hollywood. “It came out after ‘Oscars So White’ and I loved that they did it because there was all this attention on Hollywood, but it was like no, no, no, every industry is so white,” Washington said.
Similarly, Ansari explains that once people of color reach a certain level of success in Hollywood, it is their duty to help others get there. “I think it’s really important. It’s kind of a responsibility we have once we kind of get to a certain place to look out for people,” Ansari said.
The episode will premiere on Variety Studio: Actors on Actors on June 12th and June 19th on PBS SoCal. It can also be streamed at Variety.com.
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