TV Guide reports that Empire is one place where race is not an issue considering the fact that actress, Kaitlin Doubleday is the show’s only white actor in the main cast. We recently delivered a caucasian’s guide to black TV shows and this time we’re providing 10 things that Doubleday has learned by working alongside her black cast mates.
According to Madame Noire, she has been a fly on the wall with people speaking as if she wasn’t there. That’s how you know that the African American community has fully accepted you as one of their own.
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| Kaitlin Doubleday, Grace Byers, Empire |
Let’s take a look at some of the lessons she has learned about black people from being a fly on the wall.
10. Black people work really hard.
There’s a horrible misconception that black people are lazy. Working with Taraji P. Henson has helped Doubleday completely bury that misconception. Henson recently completed her memior, she’ll be featured in the new film, Hidden Figures and as Cookie Lyon, she’s the hardest working person on Empire.
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| Cookie Lyon, Always Eating |
9. They don’t care what people think about them.
When there were rumors about Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard having problems on-set, Doubleday had to be amazed by the way that both actors simply ignored the negative press and remained focused on their craft.
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| Lucious Cookie Lyon Hug |
8. They make their own rules.
While most Hollywood actors would hesitate to pursue romance with co-workers, Trai and Grace Byers have shown Doubleday exactly how to create your own rules. The two love birds recently got married after meeting on the show.
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| Trai and Grace Byers |
7. They are talented.
Speaking of Trai Byers, the actor plays Doubleday’s husband on the show, Andre Lyon. Kaitlin had to be shocked to find out how talented he was as an actor. In the show’s first season he made the world fall in love with him as he overcame his mental health issues.
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| Andre Lyon Mental Health |
6. Racism is not a thing of the past.
It’s one thing to hear about racism on television but it’s a completely different thing to be around the people impacted by racism on a daily basis. We’re sure that Doubleday could write a book on what she has experienced on-set regarding racial tension worldwide.
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| Cookie Lyon Arrested |
5. Don’t touch their hair.
From Serayah McNeill to Bryshere Y. Gray, the stars of Empire never have bad hair days. Doubleday was most likely surprised about the rules that automatically arise after a black person gets their hair done: Look but don’t touch!
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| Serayah McNeill, Look But Don’t Touch |
4. They can all rap/sing/dance.
On your typical television show you may have one or two people with the rare ability to sing, dance or rap. That’s not the case with Empire with just about every cast member being willing and able to entertain in a variety of ways.
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| Jussie Smollett Performing |
3. They are hilarious.
Some people are still convinced that black people are always mad. Actor, Jussie Smollett is showing the world that black people are happy, one prank at a time.
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| Jussie Smollett Prank Taraji P. Henson |
2. They all stop and watch when one of them “claps back.”
There are some actors who are able to respond to insults without anyone caring but that is not the case with black actors. Thanks to The Shade Room, we all stop and watch during #ClapBackSeason and Taraji P. Henson has provided Kaitlin Doubleday with numerous examples.
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| Clap Back Season Empire |
1. Black lives matter.
As our society deals with racial tensions, so does Empire. Kaitlin had to be surprised by the show’s inability to ignore racial issues which impact the family members of the show’s entire cast. The show has also created a new platform for black entertainers to show the world their talent.
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| Empire Black Lives Matter |