But two high-profile African-Americans–Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton–aren’t laughing much. The scene in question features Cedric the Entertainer, who plays Eddie, a barber with an acid tongue. At one point in the film, he provokes everyone in the shop with a series of provocative statements about black heroes.
He says Rodney King deserved to be beaten for driving a Hyundai, O. J. Simpson was guilty of murder, Martin Luther King Jr. was promiscuous and that Rosa Parks did nothing but sit down on a bus because she was tired. He is immediately chastised by his peers, but then offers, “If we can’t talk straight in the barbershop, then where can we talk straight?”
Jackson, who is also ridiculed in that scene, told the press, “We hope the actors and producers would care enough about these grievances to apologize.” And Sharpton has asked the studio to consider clipping the scene from its DVD and video releases. Though the filmmakers apologized in a statement, MGM has refused to change a moment of the movie. “We have no intention of altering the film in any way,” MGM said Wednesday.
Some see Sharpton and Jackson’s demands as ironic. “There was a time before integration where it was the only place where black people were free to speak out about things,” says Eunetta T. Boone, a veteran television producer who worked on “My Wife and Kids,” “The Hughleys” and “Living Single”–among others–before becoming executive producer of “One on One,” one of UPN’s top-rated shows for primarily black audiences. She spoke with NEWSWEEK’s B. J. Sigesmund about the controversy.
NEWSWEEK: What did you think of the movie?
Eunetta T. Boone: I’d heard about the jokes before I saw the movie–and they gave me a moment of pause. But when I finally saw it, the sting was not the sting I expected, and that was because of the film’s larger context. The barbershop is a place where you can feel free to have this kind of discussion and opinion. It’s a forum when you can say whatever you feel, whether popular or not. I listened to the jokes, and then I turned to my sister, who was with me, and said that Cedric sounded a lot like one of our angry uncles.
So in your opinion, the jokes weren’t offensive?
The movie’s successful because it set out to be controversial. You don’t do those kinds of jokes without knowing it’s going to shake some people up. But in the end, I don’t think they are harmful. I’m sure it’s hurtful to some black people, like the families [of Parks and King]. But c’mon–did anybody really care what Hillary and Chelsea Clinton felt with all the jokes about Bill Clinton? No. We laughed at them and we enjoyed them. And isn’t this what Martin Luther King fought for–the opportunity to express our ideas without censorship, the actual ability to tell our stories our way. If it wasn’t for Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, there wouldn’t be a “Barbershop.”
Let’s talk about Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton’s reactions to this movie. Were these knee-jerk reactions?
I have nothing but respect for them–especially Jesse Jackson. He has a lot to do with me sitting in this chair talking to you on the phone. For me to put them down would be incorrect on my part. Plus, he’s doing something that needs to be done. They would not be doing their respective jobs and what they believe they’ve been called to do if they didn’t speak out about this. It’s no different than the Democrats, who feel the need to speak up because they don’t want George Bush to go to war. But George Bush feels like he’s doing what he needs to do for his country. Everybody is just doing their part. I don’t think this is a situation where anyone’s wrong. It’s one where everyone is exercising their right to speak up.
You’re an industry vet, and the executive producer of one of the most successful black comedies on TV. Do you walk a line on your show between funny and offensive?
When we push the envelope on the show, it becomes a debate that you won’t believe. We want to make sure that we’re being true to art but that we’re not doing something that’s going to overly offend. This is an important point, because comedy is about being offensive. It totally is. Look at Richard Pryor, who’s considered a genius … However, the reality is, we would never do jokes like [those in “Barbershop”] on our show. People live with a TV show week after week for about nine months. Jokes like that would be a mistake, because it would stick in the memory of our audience.
Yet TV and movies are where boundaries are pushed–and where you can actually make change happen.
Yes. “In Living Color” was controversial when it came out, and it set a whole new bar as far as black comedy was concerned. It allowed us to do things we weren’t able to do before. Same with “Monster’s Ball.” A lot of people were upset with Halle Berry for doing that role. But name an actress who didn’t win an Oscar who didn’t take a risk. If you want to be safe, go work at the post office.
It’s been said that this controversy might prevent studios from making more black films, since they might be afraid of a similar backlash.
I doubt it. It’s a business about making money. This movie’s probably going to be No. 1 at the box office for the third weekend in a row. Ultimately, the bitter taste of what’s probably 60 seconds of jokes will not stop studios from doing business with black producers … And I’m certain the producers of “Barbershop” are saying “Thank you” to Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, because it will send more people to the movie. I have to be honest. I wasn’t in a rush to see the movie until I heard all this was going on. I wanted to see if I would be offended.
Can you give some examples of when you have been offended by something at the movies or on TV?
I’m generally offended every day by something. I’m offended when we’re always the first people to get killed in a movie. I’m offended when I watch a show that takes place in my hometown–Washington, D.C.–where I know there are black people everywhere and I don’t see them. I’m especially offended when black women are not explored three-dimensionally, when it’s stereotypical. But for the most part, because I’m an artist, I do see things through a different set of eyes than I might have 15 years ago. Now that I deal with a lot of important people all the time, I don’t necessarily think there’s some panel of people who set out to make black people look bad.
There’s gonna be a “Barbershop” sequel. Maybe a TV show?
I’m certain that a barbershop show has been pitched by just about every black writer in Hollywood. It was just the time for it to be done. Frankly, it’s the only place where I can go in L.A. and catch up on what’s going on in the black community and in black entertainment. I guarantee you when I go to the hair salon, I’ll come across an Ebony and a Jet. I can sit under the hair dryer, and listen, and catch up on what’s going on.
