Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It has stirred the pot in the past, from its portrayal of black millennials to wacky head-scratching scenes (remember the exploding butt shots?) But a recent episode from season two has left black British and African fans confused over portrayals of their people. It’s also left one actor deeming the Spike Lee series as “trash.”
In the episode “#SuperFunkyCaliFragiSexy,” Darling (played by DeWanda Wise) has a chat with a character by the name of Olumide “Olu” Owoye (played by Hamilton start Michael Luwoye) about the relationship between American black actors and black British actors. The two have very polarizing arguments as Darling claims black Brits have Stockholm Syndrome and Olu says his people are more disconnected from slavery than African-Americans which is a good thing for their acting skills.
“You London blokes need to fall back and fall […] from taking all of our roles. Like we have dope, trained and qualified black actors right here in the States. And at the end of the day, black Brits just come cheaper,” Darling says.
Olu’s response appears to be just as bad and said with a shaky accent.
“I somewhat agree. But black British actors are better suited than black American actors for stateside roles they don’t carry the burden of f**ked up black American history…of lynching, Jim Crow, all that. Black Brits are free of the psychological burden and therefore can really delve into black American s**t.”
It gets worse as the characters try to thinkpiece each other to death before they decided to tussle in the sheets. It’s hard to decide if the characters are playing the worst version of themselves at the moment or if this is just the frame of mind of Darling and Owoye.
Either way, the dialogue and Darling’s blatant mispronunciation of popular actors like David Oyelowo and John Boyega rubbed a good amount of fans the wrong way.
can someone please explain what I’m the black british fuck is happening in this dialogue please? #ShesGottaHaveIt2 pic.twitter.com/DnW3G8mm6I
— mi (@helloalegria) May 26, 2019
The scene caused enough controversy on Twitter that it caught the attention of black British actor, John Boyega from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Boyega called the scene “trash,” a sentiment that was echoed by many of his followers. News reporter for Buzzfeed UK, Ade Onibada, also offered her two cents on the episode, although referred to a different scene, calling it “childish” and saying that it didn’t “sit right” with her.
Trash. https://t.co/5jKgiB6YCH
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) May 27, 2019
Can't lie, the deliberate mispronunciation of their names doesn't sit right with me. Not only childish but I think of the cultural emphasis we place on names and the known conversation of African names being butchered in certain spaces…so why are we doing this to each other? pic.twitter.com/kkdh3bjtMn
— ade onibada (@SincerelyAde) May 28, 2019
Boyega also condemned critics who stated he should talk to Lee instead of bashing the show on social media. The episode was written by Barry Michael Cooper, best known for his work on New Jack City, Above The Rim and Sugar Hill. Boyega also called out specific details around Olu’s character who sported Ghanian kente cloth in place of Ankara in the form of retweets.
The dialogue has expanded on social media but Lee hasn’t responded to Boyega’s criticisms just yet.
See more comments about the episode below.
Agreed. https://t.co/yAqD1NLpTV
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) May 27, 2019
https://twitter.com/DirectedByKoby/status/1133478594586566656
https://twitter.com/blkgirlemoji/status/1132008261190934530
Is She’s Gotta have it a show about Hoteps? pic.twitter.com/PvZm0wHTJp
— Sonia (@SonnyD270) May 28, 2019
https://twitter.com/faithrgreen/status/1133479958444216320
One last annoying thing about She's Gotta Have It x Black British dragging: Malcolm X came to Smethwick, West Midlands to connect with Black UK ppl in 1965 cos he recognised the racism we went through. But Spike Lee in 2019 wants to drag us smh.
— JJ Bola (@JJ_Bola) May 27, 2019
https://twitter.com/kahvinya/status/1133353911513956352