Jada Pinkett Smith thinks "things are moving in a good direction" in Hollywood following the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.
The ‘Girls Trip’ star is glad things are moving forward since the controversy surrounding the 2016 Academy Awards – where no black actors or actresses were nominated in the main categories – but knows there is still a way to go.
Asked if things are better in Hollywood, she said: "I definitely think so. I think things are moving in a good direction. We have a lot of work to do, a lot of work to do – a lot of work to do. Like, I did a movie like ‘Bad Moms’. ‘Bad Moms’ was majority white women. And just the way in which the studio handled that movie, in my opinion, was very different than this movie."
And Jada wants to dispel the "myth that black doesn’t translate" and is encouraging studios to back film projects starring or led by all races.
Asked if she meant the marketing was different, she added: "Well, no, no, no, no [not just marketing] – Universal’s done a brilliant job in marketing. Just in regards, you know – well, is this movie marketable overseas?
"I still think it’s that myth that black doesn’t translate – and that’s just not true … In regards to budgets because everybody’s afraid – oh, it’s starring four black women, so we’re not going to get our return. So the purse gets really tight."
And the 45-year-old actress believes her latest movie ‘Girls Trip’ appeals to all women, whatever their race.
She told NPR: "I think it is important for black women to see us having this experience. And I also think it’s important for black women to see that just because it’s a movie starring black women, that we don’t have to hold it close – like, this is ours … Like this is just for us – because it’s really not about that. And I do think, as a community, we have to be willing to share our space. And I know that that is a very sensitive subject."
Jada Pinkett Smith: Hollywood’s improving
