OUTSIDE THE LINES: Where Are the
Black Lesbian Roles? (page 2)
by Linda Villarosa, November 9, 2006
A monthly column exploring entertainment on the East Coast

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Vivica A. Fox, who famously prompted Bill Clinton to ask “Who's the black girl?” when he saw her in Independence Day as Will Smith's hot, stripper girlfriend, has also had a rocky career. She starred in Set It Off, Two Can Play That Game, Booty Call and Juwanna Mann, but has struggled to cross over to the mainstream. Despite a star turn as a murderous mama in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1, most recently she was a contestant on ABC's Dancing With the Stars, a truly desperate career move — and she was eliminated, to boot.

Jada Pinkett Smith has starred in at least a dozen black movies, including Woo, Bamboozled, Kingdom Come and The Nutty Professor. Despite rave reviews in Collateral with Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise as well as the The Matrix and Ali, her most recent role has been the voice of an animated hippo in Madagascar. Power to her for keeping her schedule light to focus on her family — including two kids of her own, a stepson and hubby Will Smith, and her metal band, Wicked Wisdom — but come on!

Of the other talented, well-known young black actresses — Kimberley Elise, Regina King and Thandie Newton to name a few — not one has achieved the success she deserves. And even the black roles, generally as a male star's wife or girlfriend, are limited and shrinking. Many of the black female money roles have been snatched up by men. Think Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion and Big Momma's House. Black male actors are even grabbing roles from White Chicks.

So what of Lathan and Union? Lathan muscled her way into her first starring role in 2000's Love & Basketball, but has never lived up to the early promise. She has carried black movies like Brown Sugar, Disappearing Acts and, most recently, the disappointing interracial love story Something New. She starred opposite Denzel Washington in Out of Time in 2003 and made a splash onstage as Sean P.'s sister in Raisin in the Sun. But her mainstream resume is sketchy … unless you include the cheesy Alien vs. Predator.

Union, a beauty with killer dimples and a marquee smile, has lit up the screen in a series of “mean girl” roles beginning with Love & Basketball and Bring It On. She also starred in Two Can Play That Game, Deliver Us from Eva and 2005's failed black remake of The Honeymooners. Given her beauty, brains, talent and charisma, it's a shame she hasn't been able to make the mainstream leap.

Maybe these LGBT supporting roles will help both Union and Lathan and allow directors, casting agents and the public to appreciate their gifts and their edge. Maybe next time, these actresses will take on lead roles as lesbians. But of course, somebody's got to write those roles. (Yoo hoo, Angela Robinson.) And somebody's got to get those films made. (Hello, somebody!)

And maybe Union and Lathan will even get an onscreen smooch — with each other.

Linda Villarosa is a former editor of The New York Times and executive editor for Essence magazine, and has authored and co-authored several books. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her two children and her partner, Jana. Write to Linda at linda@afterellen.com.

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