Shemar Moore has folks raising their eyebrows at his recent comments concerning race and the big screen.
We remember him from movies like Diary of a Mad Black Woman and The Brothers – which casted all Black leads – but while discussing his new Indie movie venture The Bounce Back, he recently revealed he does not think of himself as a “Black actor.”
In the very candid interview with Shadow and Act, he also shared his opinion on how all-Black casts “alienate.”
Check out his comments below:
S&A: We hear a lot about the audience’s desire to see more black couples onscreen. Were you conflicted at all about your choice to cast a Latina actress as your love interest?
SM: Nadine Velazquez is just very talented and she showed support. She was a friend of a friend who said, “I like this story, I’d love to be a part of it.” She did me a favor and we were able to shoot a little teaser. It’s not to say that my love interest couldn’t be black. We haven’t shot the movie yet. I just know that Nadine is very passionate about it and I would love to have her in the movie. But I think love is blind. I’m half black, half white. So are we going to be mad at my mother and father for being together? I wouldn’t have life without it.
I don’t see myself as a “black actor,” I’m just Shemar Moore the actor. I’m very proud to be black but I’m just as much black as I am white. But I want tell stories that everybody can relate to, so I don’t care who’s opposite me. If Halle Berry or Jada Pinkett Smith called and said, “I want to do a movie with you,” I’d be right there because I believe in their talent.
He also discussed the effect of casting on marketing:
S&A: Was marketing a consideration when it came to casting? It’s been said that interracial couples in films attract a wider audience than black couples, especially overseas.
SM: If every character in the movie is black, it’s going to be looked at as a black movie and that might alienate other people from going to see it. But we’re very sensitive to representing all demographics and it’s going to be a very mixed cast. Whoever fits the bill and can bring the noise.
We’re not sure that we agree with different races not wanting to see a movie that has an all Black cast, but hey, he has a right to his own opinion!
Should Shemar consider himself a Black actor and do all Black casts alienate other groups of people? Share your thoughts below.
SOURCE: IndieWire S&A || Photo Credit: GETTY
