Sterling K. Brown isn’t just choosing roles; he’s choosing representation. While promoting his latest series, Washington Black, now streaming on Hulu, the Emmy-winning actor and executive producer sat down with Kathleen Newman-Bremang for Refinery29 Unbothered to discuss his intentionality around on-screen relationships.
“One thing about Sterling K. Brown is that you are gonna have a Black woman love interest — and a dark-skinned Black woman at that,” Newman said.
When asked if that casting choice is a conscious one, Brown didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, it is,” he responded. “I’m aware of the sort of Eurocentric standards of beauty that tend to predominate media. Light skin oftentimes is seen as more beautiful than dark skin, et cetera.”
But for Brown, it’s not just about pushing back against mainstream ideals. It’s about ensuring Black women, especially darker-skinned Black women, feel seen and valued. “Brown wants to be someone that sort of shows all of the beauty that is Blackness,” he said, speaking in third person. “I understand the power of representation and how often Black women feel unseen by Black men, in particular.”
Throughout his career, from This Is Us to American Fiction to Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul., Brown has made it a point to uplift and center Black women in ways that go beyond the script. And as an executive producer on Washington Black, he’s extending that care behind the scenes as well.
“There’s so many sisters that are waiting for brothers to be like, ‘Hey, man, I’m here for you,’” he added. “And brothers sometimes don’t tend to see them. I want them to know that SKB sees them. And hopefully in the people that he chooses to be paired with on screen, there’s an appreciation for them, and that they know they are as beautiful as I know they are.”
