Black-ish star says 'change is coming' after award win
Black-ish finally got the industry recognition it deserved when lead star Tracee Ellis Ross won Best Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards at the start of the year.
The actress became the first black woman to win in the category for 34 years, and the first black woman to be nominated in the category since 1984.
Co-star Marcus Scribner – who stars as Ross's on-screen son Andre Jr in the hit ABC series – said the win was not only well-deserved but a mark of progress for diversity in Hollywood.
"Tracee is well deserving of that award, and I see it as progress to a better future," Marcus told Digital Spy. "A future where people are recognised for the work they put in and not simply cast aside because of their skin colour.
"Tracee's win broke down a barrier and gave people a breath of fresh air – change is coming."
The critically-acclaimed comedy, created by Kenya Barris, centres on wealthy patriarch Dre Johnson (Anthony Anderson), who is struggling to retain his cultural identity while bringing up his family in a predominantly white, and upper middle class area.
Ellis Ross plays Dre's biracial anaesthetist wife Bow, and the couple have four children Zoey (Yara Shahidi), Andre (Scribner), Diane (Marsai Martin), and Jack (Miles Brown).
The Johnsons are not a family who "happen to be black", but a family who are black, and the series confronts issues such as race, class, cultural heritage, as well as typical family fallouts, problems and moral issues.
President Donald Trump dismissed it as racist when it first began in 2014, to which Scriber responded: "I try not to pay attention to the things that come out of his mouth.
"We couldn't care any less about what Trump thinks of our show, and do think that he should be paying attention to more important matters than whether our show is racist."
The 17-year-old star also revealed what else fans can expect from season 4 as his on-screen sister Zoey leaves for college, starring in spin-off show College-ish.
"We are sad to see Yara go, but excited for her new show!" he continued. "There is a lot in store for the family with a new baby, and Junior will be stepping up to plate to take care of the baby, as well as handling his issues at school, and standing up for himself in ways that we have not seen from him yet."
The show has also dealt with Bow's struggle to accept Jr's white girlfriend Megan (Annelise Grace), which prompts Bow's journey of self-discovery as she tries to deal with her racial identity crisis.
But Scribner says both Bow and Andre have yet to fully warm to Megan, adding: "I think that they will eventually come around to it, but as of right now they don't approve.
"This is the first long-term relationship that Junior has had on the show and it will continue to develop and unfold just as a real relationship would, so there will be more episodes featuring Megan.
"Junior is really coming into his own. He is becoming a man and is acting like so. I think this is an interesting season for Junior because he grows in many ways. You'll have to tune in to see in which ways I am talking about!"
Black-ish airs on ABC and E4.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.
You Might Also Like
