Meagan Good: Sad that it was only 10 years ago when black women started leading shows

The diversity and representation on screen seems to have improved in the last few years, but Hollywood actor Meagan Good finds it upsetting that it took so long for people t notice the imbalance in showbiz.And shw says there’s still a long way to go.

“There needs to be representation, not just in front of the camera, but behind the camera as well. [Today] There are characters which I haven’t quite seen before. But there needs to be representation in the directors, in the writers, in the people in the studio, and distributors, who make the decisions,” shares Good, adding, “That’s how we will get our stories out. And our stories are not just the stories which are culturally unique to us, but they are universal. And that is what is impact (when it comes to portrayal).”

The actor has done film like Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Venom, One Missed Call, Saw V, The Unborn and Shazam!, and was recently seen leading a culturally diverse web series, Harlem.

While she feels the tides are changing, she’s a little sad that it happened quite late. “It was only 10 years ago, when I looked around, and I saw so many black women leading their shows at the same time, when it occurred to me. I was like, ‘Wait, I have a show. Viola Davis has a show, Gabrielle Union has a show, and Taraji P. Henson has a show’. I’ve literally never seen this in my life,” says the 40-year-old.

Now, Good wants to focus on bright side of things — “the progress we are making, and the conversations we are having, even when it is about who comes and does your hair on the set, whether they can do people of colour hair.”

Talking about Harlem, she says the show was in sync with the changing times. “Every woman can see a part of themselves in each one of these characters. And it’s a breath of fresh air because I really haven’t seen myself on a show that is about sisterhood. [Earlier] I liked the characters I play because I’m a woman of colour. But I didn’t actually see myself. But I see myself in all of these characters”.