Black Diaspora and Casting Possibilities -- ep. by Nicole Dixon

A short take on some varied possibilities of black casting in films adapted from African American novels. 
Written by Nicole Dixon
Read by Kassandra Timm.

Transcript

Some of the most popular, critically acclaimed movies and series were adapted from novels.                                                                                                        

Since the 1919 film The Homesteader – an adaptation of Oscar Micheaux’s 1913 book The Conquest – novels by Black writers have been adapted into major motion pictures, television series, and online streaming series.

You’re listening to Remarkable Receptions — a podcast about popular and critical responses to African American novels and more. 

Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Colson Whitehead, and James Baldwin are just a few prominent writers whose novels were adapted for big and small screens. 

In addition to amplifying the writings of African American authors, adaptations create casting possibilities for a range of actors and actresses across Black diaspora. Chadwick Boseman from the U.S., Thuso Mbedu from South Africa, Lupita Nyong’o from Mexico, and Aaron Pierre from the United Kingdom have all starred in movie adaptations based on African American novels. 

Take a look at the 2021 adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel, Passing. Irish actress Ruth Negga starred as Clare Bellew, a Black American woman passing for white in the 1920’s. 

Consider that the comic book character Black Panther was created by white men. Then, Black Americans wrote and produced the movie about the powerful African nation Wakanda. Some of the lead African characters were played by Black American actors such as Chadwick Boseman and Angela Basset.

Screen adaptations create scores of opportunities for a convergence of Black diaspora. Whether they are writers from the South in America or actors from South Africa, the production of these stories brings Black people together in sometimes unexpected ways.  

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This episode was written by Nicole Dixon. The episode was edited by Elizabeth Cali and Howard Rambsy.

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This podcast, Remarkable Receptions, is part of the Black Literature Network, a joint project from African American literary studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas. The project was made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation.  For more information, visit blacklitnetwork.org.