“We all had to cross the white line,” said “iCarly” writer Nasser Samara during TheWrap’s panel discussion
“I don’t think there are enough people making color decisions,” “iCarly” and “Love, Victor” writer Nasser Samara said during TheWrap’s recent Writers Guild Association roundtable. “We’ve made it in our careers, but it comes with accepting that I had to adapt to white people at some point in order to get this job, to pursue this opportunity. We all have to be white.” Had to pass the bar.
The panel, titled “The Writers’ Room in Color: A Conversation with BIPOC TV Writers,” focused on the experiences of writers of color in the TV and film industry and the unique challenges faced by POC writers inside and outside the writers’ room . , In addition to Samara (who is Mexican and Palestinian), the panel included Lauren Goodman (Black/African American), Lucas Brown Eyes (Native American, Oglala Lakota Tribe), Allison Lee (Korean American) and Joel Boyd (Black/African American). Were. ,
The group opened up about a myriad of topics, including major actions in the WGA strike that disproportionately impact BIPOC writers, such as the racial pay gap and the mini-room model, the lack of racial diversity in Hollywood writers’ rooms, and the lack of racial diversity in Hollywood writers’ rooms. to repeat positions more often than their white counterparts. And a recurring, relatable item that appeared in each theme was how BIPOC writers often had to appeal to or fit into the white perspective. Hollywood’s Traditional White Spaces To make it in an already tough industry. it often means people of color have to work harder To be given equal opportunities, resources and pay.
Lee, who wrote for “Etheria” and “Frankly in Love”, said, “There is a level of excellence that we have to offer.” “Whereas other people might get more leeway, and that’s unfair. Plus, all those rejections, getting fired, or whatever it is, just patient you and you’re practically free as a person of color.” I win with charm. ‘Can you hang in there and beat the rest and excel?’ But at the same time, it’s necessary for everyone here, and that’s the way we operate.”
The panel also discussed her experiences of sometimes being the only person of color in the writers’ room, saying that it can be a balancing act of wanting to be authentically herself while trying to avoid Have enough confidence to speak out against racial stereotyping and petty crimes. Any response to either.
“It’s psychological warfare,” Samara said. “I would probably say 99% of writers of color in a room don’t fully put ourselves in a room because we’re constantly thinking, ‘Will this affect my career?’ or ‘Will this affect my community?'”
Goodman, who served as a writer for the hit FX series “Snowfall,” agreed.
“There are times you have to take the risk of thinking as someone you know, as a person, especially as a Black woman, ‘Are you aggressive? Are you combative?’ That burden is always there,” Goodman said. “it is Du Bois talks about double consciousness He doesn’t go into the writers’ room. And I think that’s just indicative of the experience of people of color who walk in places where we don’t happen to be the majority.
On top of being consistent with white spaces, Writers of color aren’t given the same room to make the same mistakes or any errors. And Brown Eyes (“Spirit Rangers”) says Hollywood makes it pretty clear.
“It’s all about the risk and who gets it. Like, who gets the risk?” said Brown Eyes. “Who rebuilds their pilot after a $30 million pilot. It’s always the same white dude Happens together. Let’s be honest.”
Throughout the history of Hollywood, white writers have been given the green light to write and direct TV shows and movies focused on POC stories, although POC creatives have not been given the same rights. Some writers have also shared that some TV executives will not hire a person of color if the shows they run do not have any characters of color. Boyd, who wrote on the series “History of Swear Words” and wrote and directed the short film “High Power,” expressed his surprise for the fact that white Hollywood doesn’t trust writers of color to deliver their stories the same way. Can cure.
“How did it happen [white Hollywood] Don’t think we can do this?” Boyd questioned. “We always have to see their stories. We grew up watching ‘Friends’ because [they] made us. How to do [they] Guess we can’t turn around and write [their stories], and then sit there and tell us [they’re] Is our writer? This is very strange to me. It’s wild.
As the conversation ended, the group shared their best advice for any up-and-coming writers of color. Brown Eyes said that surviving as a person of color in Hollywood means mastering your craft and that you’ll more than likely face, despite the typical difficulties.
Brown Eyes said, “When the powers that be want you dead, living is resistance.” “I think some of it is rolling with the punches and taking care of myself… learning to love writing. I think we all love to write, but really love it. Really focus on that because that is what you can control. In this industry, there is a lot that you cannot control. Really, really hone your craft and become really good in the sense of not proving it to others, but the more you love what you can do, the happier you’ll be. That’s how you survive. Just being in the room is an act of resistance and protest.
For all of TheWrap’s WGA strike coverage, click here. Watch the full roundtable discussion above.
