Modern scripted shows are cleverly addressing the roadblocks encountered by Black men as they try to land their Hollywood breakthrough.
Although past examples are few, think satirical black comedies Hollywood Shuffle and Bamboozled, along with the limited Tubi series Send Help, they’ve paved the way for recent Disney+ miniseries Wonder Man and FreeLance, which had a pilot debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. While the entertainment industry turns to artificial intelligence, which threatens the livelihoods of those working tirelessly to keep TV and film buffs tuned in, recent projects have taken viewers back to the basics. AI-generated digital Blackface videos and content creators who’ve arguably taken shortcuts in the field continue to spark debates online, but Wonder Man and FreeLance demonstrate that true creativity still comes from being hands-on.
Wonder Man, led by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the titular character/Simon Williams, centers on the struggling performer, whose overzealousness gets him shut out of acting opportunities. An older actor, Trevor Slattery, who’s knocking on retirement, is recruited to entrap Williams in exposing his superhuman abilities, but becomes his mentor. The anticipated superhero moment doesn’t arrive until the finale, but throughout the eight-episode season, Williams familiarizes us with the grit of Black male actors, even when their potential is used against them.
It shouldn’t be lost on the show’s fans that Williams is often depicted as the only Black person at casting calls. The fictional Doorman Clause, enacted after a stunt goes awry, also shuts Williams out of Hollywood roles if his powers are exposed. The “Doorman” in question is portrayed by a Black man, comedian Byron Bowers, exhibiting how Black male actors are quickly canceled or blackballed when their missteps are publicized.
Along with its examination of Williams’ immersion in the film industry, Wonder Man closely focuses on the familial ordeals that aspirational Black male actors face. While Williams’ mother, a Haitian immigrant, encourages her youngest son to pursue his dreams, the protagonist’s older brother, Eric, is a rigid corporate worker who pushes the actor to follow a traditional job route. Williams’ girlfriend, Vivian, also leaves him, feeling as though their relationship is an afterthought in his relentless quest for fame.
By the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe installment, Williams and Slattery mend their friendship, with the actor landing the role of his dreams. Similar camaraderie is seen in the FreeLance pilot, created by filmmakers Julien and Justen Turner of The Turner Brothers, which leans on internet personalities in starring roles to reflect the growing creator evolution. Before the sibling duo workshopped FreeLance, they established themselves as visual storytellers with campaigns for Nike, Under Armor and more. Past collaborations with prominent athletes and influencers became their selling point, which made it easy for digital comedians like Lou Young, Mel Mitchell, and Kevonstage to sign on as FreeLance stars. The pilot is also led by actor Spence Moore II, whose credits include Creed III, The Wonder Years, and Grown-ish.
“Our style was built off of these kinds of creative constraints and it got to a point where now when we do our commercial work, we do mostly all of our stuff with athletes and content creators. Being able to translate that vertical language to a horizontal TV film language is something that we wanted to tackle,” Julien explains.
While some social media users dispute whether content creators fit Hollywood standards, The Turner Brothers cast digital creators to revitalize the nostalgia of ‘90s and early 2000s sitcoms. The filmmakers also used their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, as the series’ setting to capture the ambitious lead character Lance (Moore), who tries to direct his way to success with the help of his creative friends-slash-roommates. The pilot looks on as the group videographs a wedding while multiple unplanned circumstances threaten to ruin the paid opportunity.
“I think that a lot of what they do is acting and writing,” Justen says of online creators. “And I think it kind of fit what we were going for in Freelance is finding those two-minute segments of every scene that is a skit by itself. When it comes to improving and writing their lines, they know what they’re doing. And so it also kind of captures a more modern kind of comedy.”
But even when The Turner Brothers have proved themselves to be the filmmakers of tomorrow, they’ve had occasional moments of being overlooked. Some of these experiences occurred during their time at Sundance.
“I flew there from New York because we were working on a project out there and on the plane this dude sat next to me,” Justen recalls. “I was like in the middle seat and the dude leans over me to [speak to] the lady on the other side and he’s like, ‘Are you coming to Sundance?’ I’m like, Dang, I’m right here. I might be coming, too. What?”
In other instances, the brothers have been mistaken for actors or assistants on an entertainment project rather than being at the helm, a clear microaggression that the duo has learned to shrug off. Justen continues, “I was definitely analyzing it the whole [time], having that in the back of my mind. I’m like, I wonder what people assume when they see me here.”
With Sundance checked off their list for FreeLance, The Turner Brothers now want to turn the pilot’s on-the-ground marketing campaign into creating a long-running series. “We really wanted to treat this like a testing ground for how widespread this phenomenon can get with a social-driven cast. The goal, we felt like, was to break through the noise,” Julien shares.
With their lens on Ohio, the duo also seeks to further develop a creative ecosystem among Black creators without having to relocate to a major city. “Once we realize that the industry isn’t a location, I think it kind of shifts our mindset and I think that’s what kind of helped us,” Julien adds. “The film industry and the art of film isn’t Hollywood. It isn’t a city, it isn’t New York, it isn’t Atlanta, it’s wherever we decide it’s going to be.”
“You can also introduce your Black friends to film making and I think that’s one of the best things about being outside of those hubs,” he continues. “That’s one of the only ways you can really create that community and give it a kick start.”
As film and television continue to showcase the uphill battle that Black male entertainers and directors face, this representation will hopefully inspire the next generation to make their mark on camera and behind the scenes.
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