Do I welcome the fact that these films are being recognized? Yes. Do I think there’s great work that’s been done on these films? Yes.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 13, 2013
Actor and Director Bill Duke, known for his classic films such as: American Gigolo, Predator, Commando, X-Men 3 and the recent groundbreaking documentary Dark Girls which aired on OWN with one of the network's highest ratings, made an appearance on Black Hollywood Live's Portraits interview show this past Friday. In his appearance, Duke talks about if the 2014 Oscars will be a historic year for black films.
Duke discusses the year of the Black Oscar:
Duke states, “Do I welcome the fact that these films are being recognized? Yes. Do I think there’s great work that’s been done on these films? Yes. My hope, and I guess is a naive hope, that because of the financial success of these pictures and because of the quality of the films that have been made that it will inspire studios and/or networks and online entities to begin to see the value of creating content that is more representative of the entire nation, the entire world.”
Duke responds to recent news coverage of celebrities wearing Blackface during Halloween:
“I think a lot of people that do it don’t understand the history. They think its funny, but it’s not funny to me. They’re people who sacrificed their lives so that we are able to be here today and that sacrificed their lives so that wouldn’t exist anymore…and to erase that and to say well you know that’s the past and now we are all cool, denies the truth of our reality and I will not accept that,” Duke says.
Duke’s response to recent accusations that Obama’s administration causes intra-racism:
Duke says, “We can blame slavery, racism. We can blame lynching. We can blame and all those things were atrocious. Atrocities, but Harriet Tubman didn’t stop. Dr. King knew he was gonna die. He knew it. Malcolm X, Medgar Evers knew they were gonna die. But there was something larger than their own personal lives that they felt they had a cause and somehow that’s been lost.”
Duke talks about working with Arnold Schwarzenegger:
“I respect him greatly, as a human being he was always humble…at the top of his career doing The Predator or whatever you know you could talk to this person,” Duke states.
Duke discusses power players George Lucas and Steven Spielberg:
“When I see Steven Spielberg and George Lucas sit down and on the Huffington Post talk about the inclusions…they use the word inclusion of this industry potentially in the next 4 to 5 years. I think we should be listening...its not just two guys saying this...its George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg,” says Duke.
Duke gets frank about Reality TV Stars and their positioning on TV:
“If you ask me if there is any craft to what they do, the answer is no,” states Duke.
Links to Bill Duke's full appearance can be found at:
Website: http://blackhollywoodlive.com/2013/11/09/bill-duke-bhl-portraits/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/black-hollywood-live-portaits/id611663536?mt=2
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTToRvFVWUA&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLsewtEOygG8vza3xGaLUxWVaKs80Rpnef
Black Hollywood Live's Portraits show, hosted by Derrial Christon, Jesse Janedy and Courtney Stewart airs live Fridays and is available for download the next day on iTunes and BlackHollywoodLive.com. Past guests for the show include director Wayne Brady, Sherri Shepherd, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tahj Mowry, Tim Story, actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson and model/actor Boris Kodjoe. Black Hollywood Live is the world's first online broadcast network dedicated to African American entertainment news. BHL programming features inside information, insightful commentary, and in-depth interviews with Hollywood's biggest stars and influencers. For further information about the network, visit BlackHollywoodLive.com.