Actress Marsai Martin Doesn’t Want To Show ‘Black Pain’ In Her Projects: That’s Not Who I Am

Actress Marsai Martin Doesn’t Want To Show ‘Black Pain’ In Her Projects: That’s Not Who I Am

Marsai Martin has accomplished so much for a 16-year-old. But one thing you won’t see her doing is showcasing “black pain.”

The black-ish star, who just won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance by a Youth and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, said she always aims to go another route.

After earning her wins, Marsai Martin was asked about Saturdays, a Disney series she’s producing under her Genius Entertainment company she founded with her parents. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she wanted to “shine a light” on sickle cell anemia, making it clear it will be positive.

“We’ve been working on it for quite a while now. I’ve always wanted to have just a cool activity that like us Black people love — like everyone loves it but the aesthetic of roller skating is just amazing and it just doesn’t get the recognition that it needs. I just wanted to shine a light on it. Then also, sickle cell is a very big thing in our Black community, it tackles us the most. It’s never been seen on TV or film before so I wanted to make sure this was a moment to shine a light on it — in not a bad way because we don’t do Black pain, but to where our main character is still celebrated, still loved and lives her life the way that she wants to. It’s just very fun and very exciting. We’re just bringing back the Disney Channel era that I grew up watching with ‘That’s So Raven’ and ‘Good Luck Charlie’, the shows that I love, and I wanted to bring that back in a way where everyone can watch it, not just the kids, but the family. It’s our humor; I’m excited for it.”

She later added,

“I have a couple of rules when you come into my office. When you come into my office, don’t give me this—I don’t do no Black pain. If it’s Black pain I don’t go for it because there’s so many films and projects about that, so that’s not who I am. I want to make sure that it is diverse and real in its own way.”

What are your thoughts on Marsai Martin’s “no Black pain” rule? Comment and let us know.