Page 30 - AT

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 1 November 2018
Actress-writer Waithe: Films fall short of ethnic equality

By LYNN ELBER sity to the screen, Waithe
AP Television Writer said she felt the pressure of
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Holly- falling short as a represen-
wood is falling short of eth- tative of her ethnic group.
nic equality despite black- “No straight white man rep-
led films including “Black resents anything but him-
Panther,” actress and self,” she said.
award-winning writer Lena Waithe also touched
Waithe said. briefly on TV personality
There are “a million ‘La La Megyn Kelly’s defense of
Lands’ every year. How blackface as a Hallow-
often do we get a ‘Moon- een costume, which led
light’? How often do we to the cancellation of her
get ‘Black Panther’?” she NBC “Megyn Kelly Today”
said. “What to me will be morning show. Waithe sug-
true equality is when ‘Black gested that blackface was
Panther’ comes out and This combination photo shows Annie Lennox at Porter’s 3rd Annual Incredible Women Gala in something that whites used
it’s just like ‘Captain Amer- Los Angeles on Oct. 9, 2018, left, Lena Waithe at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Grants to denigrate blacks but,
ica.’” Banquet in Beverly Hills on Aug. 9, 2018, center, and Hannah Gadsby at the 70th Primetime Emmy “in a weird way,” also indi-
Waithe, an actress and Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 17, 2018. cated they want to experi-
Emmy-winning screenwriter Associated Press ence being black.
with the streaming comedy tion of a newly established astating for women. we’re left with the same old “There’s a love for us. But
“Master of None” who was Academy Gold Fellowship There are many other crises misogyny,” Lennox said. how do you love us?” she
in the film “Ready Player to young filmmaker Geeta faced by women and girls Gadsby, an Australian said. “I want us to cher-
One,” joined in conversa- Malik, writer-director of the worldwide, Lennox said, comic who made a splash ish Trayvon Martin alive, as
tion with comedian Han- award-winning online short including sex trafficking, with her standup special much as we do when he’s
nah Gadsby at an Acad- “Aunty Gs” and films in- physical and sexual abuse “Nanette,” said her au- gone,” referring to the un-
emy of Motion Picture Arts cluding “Beast” and “Trou- and illiteracy. tism has made her acutely armed African-American
and Sciences lunch. blemaker.” “That is why I endorse aware of screen charac- teenager shot to death in
The event marked the Music legend Annie Lennox global feminism,” she said, ters who are relegated to Florida by a former neigh-
launch of Action: The also spoke at the lunch, re- which encompasses West- the “periphery” of the ac- borhood watch volunteer
Academy Women’s Initia- counting how her activism ern nations as well as plac- tion. in 2012.
tive, aimed at creating was inspired after hearing es where women “can’t She said television has be- Amy Adams, Anika Noni
opportunities for female South African leader Nel- reach the lowest rung.” come a “Trojan horse” that Rose, Rashida Jones and
filmmakers to network and son Mandela describe how Men must also be wel- brings such sidelined char- Lily Collins were among
celebrate inclusiveness. the scourge of HIV and comed into the cause, she acters into the forefront of those attending the event
It included the presenta- AIDS was particularly dev- said. stories. held by the academy and
“If men and boys are ex- When Gadsby lauded initiative partners E! Enter-
cluded from the dialogue, Waithe for bringing diver- tainment and Swarovski.q

Rami Malek explains how he dug

deep to find Freddie Mercury

Rhapsody” on Tuesday. The
“Mr. Robot” star connect-
ed with Mercury’s outsider
passion for success.
“I set out to be an actor
some, I don’t know, over a
decade ago. I think some-
thing was possibly burning
inside the both of us. We
had aspirations to live our
dream. And I’m getting
a chance to do that right
now in this very moment,”
Malek said. While many
aspects defined Mercury,
Actor Allen Leech, left, musician Brian May, actor Rami Malek,
musician Roger Taylor, actor Joe Mazzello and actor Gwilym including being one of the
Lee pose together at the premiere of “Bohemian Rhapsody” at best vocalists to front a rock
The Paris Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, in New York. band, his flamboyant pres-
Associated Press ence and a penchant for
By JOHN CARUCCI tackling the role of the leg- taking chances, Malek felt
Associated Press endary Queen frontman. like he had to dig deeper
NEW YORK (AP) — Rami The first-generation Ameri- to find the beating heart of
Malek says he identified can spoke about his star- the Tanzania-born Mercury,
with the immigrant side ring role at the New York who arrived in London at
of Freddie Mercury while premiere of “Bohemian 18.q