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Jodie Turner-Smith Shares How Her Biracial Daughter Helped Heal Her Wounds With Colorism
Many would often say after having kids, their overall perception of life would change. Although the shift has various reasons, it could mainly just boil down to how individuals raise their children, which happened to actress and model Jodie Turner-Smith.
During an interview withElle Magazine, Smith opened up about how becoming a mother to a biracial child taught her significant lessons about her thoughts on colorism. Smith has been married to actor Joshua Jackson since 2019. The couple would ultimately welcome their daughter Janie Jackson the following year.
Jodie Turner-Smith On Raising a Biracial Daughter With Her Husband
On March 27, the 36-year-old shared that she was forced to make peace with her past regarding the issues of colorism because she realized that her daughter wouldn't encounter the same experiences as her due to the toddler's skin complexion.
"She is going to have a completely different experience in the world than I did, because I have given birth to a mixed-race girl," she said.
Further in the conversation, Smith mentioned that, before having Janie, she was resistant to being a mother. When the Queen & Slimstar finally decided to have kids, she revealed that she wished to have fully Black children to give them the love the world didn't give her because of her darker skin tone.
"It's interesting because I had a lot of resistance to becoming a mother," Smith explained. "Throughout my life, I always said if I were to have children, I wanted to have Black, Black babies so that I could affirm them as children with the love that I felt I needed to have been affirmed with by the outside world."
But as luck would have it, Smith fell in love with Jackson, a white man. As their relationship progressed over the years, the couple discussed having children. The Independent star claimed that despite her past goals of wanting fully Black children, not having a baby with her partner because they were white just seemed "insane."
Smith added that after acknowledging that the pair would take the next step and have a family, it did cause her to think about how her children would "look like" people that she once felt "tormented by."
"Then I fell in love with my husband, and we talked about having kids. To decide not to have a child with somebody you love, just because they're white, was insane to me. But, at the same time, I did have this mini pause where I was like, 'She's going to be walking through the world not only having an experience that I did not have but looking like people that, in a way, I'd always felt a little bit tormented by," Smith said.
The mother of one disclosed that after welcoming her daughter in April 2020, all those thoughts disappeared. Smith also expressed that raising the almost three-year-old was the universe's way of helping her heal with her "own conversations around colorism."
Smith On How She Gained Her Self-Confidence
When asked how she's been able to be confident despite the past struggles she's faced with not being accepted as a standard of beauty, Smith shared it has been an ongoing journey due to the lack of proper representation.
In her response, Smith recounted how the entertainment industry made her question her self-worth while mentioning a 1943 film Stormy Weather. The movie had an entire Black cast, but the two leads were a dark-skinned man named Bill Robinson and Lena Horne, a light-skinned woman.
Smith stated it would appear problematic because women with a darker complexion who never had a proper lead role were often "desexualized" and depicted as the "mammy" character at the time. She went on to say that it fueled the idea that dark-skinned women weren't viewed as beautiful in society.
Smith also shared that these films and shows and not seeing anyone who looked like her being "held up as beautiful" greatly affected her. The Murder Mystery 2 star revealed that she would eventually gain self-confidence by simply "faking it" until it became a reality in her adult life.
"Because you've never seen anybody who looks like you held up as beautiful. That definitely affected my psyche," Smith explained. "Anyone who has known me throughout my life would say, 'Oh, Jodie has very high self-esteem.' But it affected me, I just faked it till I made it. It wasn't until adulthood that I began to come into myself. For a long time, people would even say to me, 'You're so pretty...for a dark-skinned girl.'"
Since then, Smith has been gracing the covers of various high-profile magazines, starred in numerous projects, and has been revered as one of the most beautiful people in the world. Although the actress has dealt with the issues, it brings up an interesting conversation that many need to have, especially in Hollywood.
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This article is sponsored by Hulu.
UnPrisonedhas returned for its highly anticipated second season, delving deeper into the complex dynamics of the Alexander family.
The series premiere comes a year after its debut season garnered rave reviews from fans and critics and earned record-breaking ratings for Hulu's Onyx Collective brand. UnPrisoned's success can be attributed to its raw, relatable themes and comedic appeal.
Inspired by creator Tracy McMillan's life, the show follows Paige (Kerry Washington), a therapist and single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo) --who was released from prison-- moves in with her and her teenage son, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana).
Throughout UnPrisoned's first season, viewers witnessed how Edwin's incarceration deeply affected Paige's life and relationships. In the series, Paige unpacks her trauma through interactions with her inner child and her online followers. Meanwhile, Edwin is overcoming specific struggles with his own past that led to his life of crime, including a dysfunctional upbringing and his mother's arrest. As the Alexanders attempt to reconcile, new challenges arise.
This new season promises to further explore their unconventional family dynamic. Here are several compelling reasons why season two of UnPrisoned should be on everyone's watchlist.
The Alexander Family Life Is Still In Shambles
UnPrisoned's second season resumes where the series left off, with Paige grappling with the fallout from her troubled therapy practice and Edwin navigating life independently after moving out. Meanwhile, Finn faces his own challenges. The teenager is battling anxiety and seeking information about his father—a topic Paige avoids discussing.
The Alexander Family Are Attending Therapy To Resolve Their Underlying Issues
Amid the chaos in their lives, the Alexander family decides to mend their bond by confronting their past traumas. They seek professional help and attend therapy sessions with a “family radical healing coach,” played by John Stamos, a new cast member. This collective effort aims to unravel the complexities of their shared history and strengthen their relationships.
The process of unraveling each character's internal conflicts and their potential impact on future relationships may clash with Paige's textbook therapy approach. While Paige is used to being in the therapist's seat in both career and family, this forces her into the unfamiliar role of a patient during therapy sessions. This shift would compel her to look in the mirror and try a radically different approach.
The Alexander Family Learned A Big Lesson During A Therapy Session
In therapy, the Alexanders are tasked with addressing their individual traumas to salvage their remaining relationships. One of the family therapist’s eccentric suggestions was an exercise involving a family wrestling match. During this session, Paige faces tough questions about her refusal to share information about Finn's father.
While it's unclear whether this scene is reality or fantasy, the image of the family duking it out in the ring certainly makes for hilarious yet compelling television.
Paige Tries Dating Again Following Failed Relationships
Amid her life's chaos, Paige decides to step back into the dating field. However, her many attempts have left her with mixed results. The dating apps have turned out to be a fail, and an outing with her ex Mal (Marque Richardson), who is also her father's parole officer, doesn’t go quite as expected after he brings an unexpected guest – his new girlfriend.
The situation takes an awkward turn when Mal's new partner learns why the former couple split, partly due to Paige's self-sabotage.
UnPrisoned Is A Perfect Balance Of Comedy And Drama
As a dramedy, UnPrisoned takes a comedic approach to its heavy subjects. The show takes us on a ride with Paige's dating misadventures and navigating a friendship with her ex.
Other lighthearted moments include Edwin's attempts at CPR based on online videos and, of course, the antics of the Alexander family's unconventional new healing coach.
The second season of UnPrisoned is now available on Hulu.
UnPrisoned | Season 2 Trailer | Hulu
Feature image courtesy
Blair Underwood Initially Turned Down 'Sex And The City' Because 'It Was About How Samantha Was Fascinated By Dating A Black Man’
Actor and heartthrob Blair Underwood is opening up about why he turned down Sex and the City the first time he was offered a role. Many fans of the HBO series may recall Blair's time on the show in which his character was dating Miranda (Cynthia Nixon). However, he was previously offered another role where his character would date Samantha (Kim Cattrall).
During his interview with AV Club, the Set It Off star revealed that he was uncomfortable with the initial offer due to the character's fascination with him being a Black man.
“I actually did say ‘no’ the first time,” he said. “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.'”
But that didn't stop them from reaching out again. This time he was offered to play Dr. Robert Leeds, the love interest to Miranda and he decided to go for it. "So they were nice enough to call about a year later, and I said, 'Well, is it gonna be about race?' And they said, 'No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!' And I think it really did only come up maybe once," he recalled.
"It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about 'a Black doctor' that Miranda was dating. And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as 'the Black guy.'
"I’ve had that conversation with many producers along the way, and they were so great. They said, 'No, he’s just a doctor who Miranda meets in the elevator, and they have a nice little fling.' And it was amazing."
Blair has had a wide-ranging career playing everything from a lawyer on L.A. Law to playing Madame CJ Walker's husband on Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame CJ Walker. And during his interview, he revealed another role that he initially turned down, Set It Off. The movie, which is considered a classic in Black culture, stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. Blair's character, Keith, played a banker and love interest to Jada's character, Stony.
He explained why he said no at first and eventually accepted the offer. "I had initially said “no” to that. Because I was playing this historic, iconic African-American historical figure in Jackie Robinson, and the time, y’know, there was Boyz N The Hood, and Menace II Society was out there, and I’d finished playing this noble Negro… [Laughs]," he said.
"And I’m reading the script, and there’s a scene where Jada Pinkett’s character—Jada Pinkett-Smith now—was going to sell her body so she could make some money to send her brother to college. And I remember, honestly, I threw the script across the room. I was, like, “I don’t want to do this. I want to do something uplifting for the Black culture and Black characters, and I don’t know if I want to see this.”
After a conversation with the movie's director F. Gary Gray and the actor's manager encouraging him to finish reading the script, Blair had a change of heart. What he first thought about the movie turned out to be totally different.
"So I finished the script, and I saw that the character they were asking me to play was really the love story in the midst of all of this turmoil of all of these characters, the four ladies: Queen Latifah, Vivica Fox, Kimberly Elise, and Jada," he explained.
"It was so well-written, it was such a great platform for them. And to be able to play the love story and the storyline that gave Jada’s character a leg up and a way out of this world, something to hope for, to wish for, someone to love her… I said, 'You know what? I’d like to be a part of that.'
"And I’m so glad I did, because that film resonates to this day. People all the time come up to me and say that they love that movie. So I’m glad that I did it."