Stargirl actress Anjelika Washington has opened up about an experience she once had with a stunt double in blackface.
According to Washington, the incident took place in 2017 on her fourth acting job — she says that when she tried to raise her discomfort with producers, they told her she should count herself fortunate she was working.
She did not reveal the name of the show, but her IMBd page revealed that Washington appeared in two episodes of the drama series “Versus” that year.
“I was very uncomfortable (as anyone would be to meet your double in blackface) so I spoke up for myself,” Washington writes via Instagram.
“I pulled one of our producers aside and asked, ‘Why isn’t my stunt double Black like me? Isn’t that the point of a double? She responded, ‘Sure. But we couldn’t find a Black stunt double in L.A. Los Angeles doesn’t have many Black stunt performers. But aren’t you happy to be working? You should be thankful to be here.'”
She continued: “There’s this oppressive thing that often happens when everyone and everything are ran by white people on sets (and in any industry) where they try to manipulate POC into just being GRATEFUL to be there.
“They do this to us because they know that they literally run the show. They feel like a saviour for giving a young Black girl a role in their show, even though most times it’s just to check a box,” Washington adds.
Read the post in full above.
