Image via Complex Original
It's no secret that Hollywood is a light on representation when it comes to black actors. Ask any two people to name the most prominent ones out and the lists will end up looking similar because the same 15 people are recycled for both lead and supporting roles.
Don't get us wrong: We love Denzel Washington as much as the next guy, and we're fans of Anthony Mackie and Zoe Saldana (the reigning king and queen of ubiquity), but there are plenty of up-and-coming actors who deserve juicy roles alongside the big dogs. Keep reading for 10 talented black actors who deserve more love.
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Written by Frazier Tharpe (@The_SummerMan)
Nicole Beharie
Beharie got her first major look opposite real-life love Michael Fassbender in last year's indie flick Shame. Playing a co-worker and love interest for the damaged, sex addict protagonist, she garnered a piece of the conversation amidst some of the film's more buzz-worthy scenes. Her next role, in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, should help her pad out Hollywood's shamefully limited crop of go-to African-American actresses.
Columbus Short
C-Short has seen his fair share of work since his breakout role in 2007's Stomp the Yard, with support roles in Cadillac Records, Death at a Funeral, and The Losers as well as a recurring role on ABC's hit series Scandal. But we think Hollywood can do better by him. He's paid his dues and proven his skill in the supporting area, now it's time for him to step up to the leading-man plate. Casting directors, take note.
Donald Glover
Donald Glover is one of the most well-known people on this list, but that is thanks to his rapper alter-ego, Childish Gambino. With the slow but steady success of his debut studio album, 2011's Camp, Glover is gaining respect in rap with such momentum that people are forgetting what he was initially known for: Dude is a strong comedic actor.
The rabid, die-hard fans of NBC's cult hit Community don't need to be reminded of that but it's about time Donald matched Gambino's fame outside of that bubble, because despite what the folks at Sony thought, he would've made a pretty good Spider-Man. His guest-starring role on the next season of HBO's Girls should prove instrumental in his career awareness—as well as quell complaints that any given episode of Girls is visually similar to watching the sea of whiteness that is the RNC.
Damon Wayans Jr.
If you're not already up on ABC's hilarious ensemble comedy Happy Endings, then take this time between seasons to get familiar. Need a reason to watch? How about Damon Wayans Jr. as effete funnyman Brad, valiantly keeping the Wayans name alive with each episode.
On a series where the whole cast brings its A-game it's a marvel that Damon Jr. manages to stand out, but he's quickly becoming the breakout star, stealing laughs from his equally hilarious castmates. As the show's popularity rises, it'd be a real oversight if his profile didn't rise with it as well.
Adepero Oduye
Adepero's been grinding it out in film and TV bit parts for a few years now (you might remember her as Louie's supermarket cashier obsession in an early episode of the series) but she finally garnered attention with her fearless portrayal of a teenage lesbian in last year's indie hit Pariah.
Her work in Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave and the upcoming all-black TV rendition of Steel Magnolias, alongside big-name talents like Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard, and Phylicia Rashad, will hopefully signal the start of a long, fruitful career as one of Hollywood's next dramatic powerhouses.
Rob Brown
Despite a great breakout performance in the Sean Connery gem Finding Forrester, Rob Brown is not the man now, dog, and that is a real shame. He can be seen these days near-exclusively on David Simon's under-watched but critically acclaimed HBO series Treme, where he delivers solid work as Delmond, a trumpet player with a preference for New York's jazz scene despite being raised in New Orleans's.
Oftentimes high-profile TV work leads to a career resurgence in the form of plum feature film supporting, or even starring roles. If more people pay attention to Treme, as they should, that will hopefully be the case for Brown.
Nate Parker
Parker has been quietly killing it in supporting roles in black films such as Pride (2007) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008), but his film appearances stalled until this year. So far, 2012 has been his most productive year yet, with roles in Spike Lee's Red Hook Summer and Red Tails, but we're hoping his stellar turn in Arbitrage alongside Richard Gere puts the rest of the world onto the talent Denzel clearly saw when he hand-picked him for 2007's The Great Debaters.
John Boyega
Boyega made a small splash in last year's instant-cult hit Attack the Block, an introduction that nearly materialized into a full-scale breakout when he was cast as the lead in HBO's boxing drama Da Brick (loosely based on Mike Tyson, whom Boyega definitely resembles). Unfortunately for John, HBO ultimately passed on the Spike Lee project, but we're betting that the kid bounces back from that setback sooner rather than later.
Jay Pharaoh
Joining the cast of Saturday Night Live should've been the look that propelled the hilarious Jay Pharaoh to new career heights, but so far he's been criminally underused (though we can only complain but so much when he's allowed to perform his uncanny Jay-Z impersonation). The past few years we've approached each new season of SNL with a slightly masochistic hope that this might be the year it becomes, y'know, funny again. Now we can add "more Jay" to that cautiously optimistic list.
Tristan Wilds
As far as former Wire cast members go, Tristan Wilds is among the most steadily employed, mostly due to a main cast role on The CW's 90210. We say, that's not enough. Dude was only on The Wire for the last two years and yet most fans would include his conflicted teen corner boss Michael among their top 10 favorite characters of all time.
No disrespect to the work he's doing on 90210 slaying suburban rich girls, but he hasn't had a role since that allowed him to display the depths of his talent like Michael Lee did. Someone important in Hollywood should get to rectifying that immediately.
