Gabrielle Union has blasted the creators ‘Bring It On’ for the way they wrote black characters.
The 48-year-old actress enjoyed a breakthrough with her role as antagonistic head cheerleader Isis in the cult film, but now upon reflection has been left feeling “hopeless” by the way the black characters were written in comparison to white characters.
She said: “All of the white characters had last names, no matter if they just had one line. And I had never considered it. I always looked at Isis like Cher or Madonna. And now you look at who wrote it and you start to think a little differently.
Gabrielle went on to explain that she was determined to perform the role of Isis in a way that she felt was true to herself and her race to avoid stereotyping.
She added: “Even though they gave me free reign, and I could do whatever I wanted with her, I was so committed to being the ‘ right kind of black girl cheerleader. She can be annoyed but not too angry; she can be a leader, but she better be classy.”
However, Gabrielle also spoke out about how her character is seemingly viewed by fans of the movie and how when a meme involving her character went viral, she was at a loss.
Speaking to Stylist Magazine, she said: “When you watch people do their impressions of Isis, she is [aggressive and confrontational] . It says everything about what you heard, not what was actually being said. No matter how a black woman speaks, what some people hear is violence , threats. It’s the demonisation of black girls and women.
“Cut to last summer, and this meme comes out about movie villains, and there’s Isis. I made her the most kind and gracious leader, and she was a villain because she wanted the theft [of her cheerleading routines] to be acknowledged and for there to be consequences. And for that, she’s the villain. That’s dark. It takes you to such a hopeless place.”
