I want to have more expansive storylines for people of color. I just feel like our lives are not shown in a way that is human and deep and complicated. A lot of times we’re just fill. Even when we’re not meant to be, we end up eventually being that. I always say we’re like the Greek chorus.
Oscar winning actress Viola Davis
On Broadway, too, Davis points out that years like the last one, which featured a range of dynamic roles for black actors, are often followed by a few years “of nothing.” As long as that cycle continues, it exacerbates the problem.

“When you’re not given the opportunity to work and to shine, it’s like having a great body and going to a $10-or-less store to buy your clothes — it’s never going to emphasize what you really look like,” she says. “Your gifts can atrophy if you’re not given the opportunity to use them.”