Jessica Williams says great time to be actor of color
NEW YORK: Jessica Williams said it is a great time to be an actress of color, and applauded Netflix for leading the way in promoting diversity.
Williams, who cut her teeth as a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” takes on her first starring role in the streaming network’s original film, “The Incredible Jessica James.”
The actress feels Netflix helped shape stories about people of color, citing original programming like “Master of None” and “Orange is the New Black” that are able to “showcase people of color in an amazing way.”
While inclusion continues to improve, especially on Netflix, Williams said the struggle for racial equality is far from over.
“I think it’s a difficult time in some ways to be a person of color, and I think the same for actors of color, but I also think it’s a great time. Because I think now ... there’s so much more room, I think, for us to be seen, and there’s room for us to create our own stories,” Williams said.
“It’s like so many black actresses that came before me and my generation. They came before and they did not necessarily have this opportunity that I feel like I have now, and so I’m really grateful for that, and I really do think it’s a really great time to be an actress that is black, in a way,” she said.
As for her previous gig, Williams has the distinction of being the youngest correspondent hired for “The Daily Show.” Now she is hoping to join the list of the show’s alumni who have moved on to bigger and better things.
“To be mentioned among people like Samantha Bee or Hassan Minaj and Steve Carrell and Steve Colbert is insane,” she said.”