During my amazing adventure in LA, I had the chance to go on set (more to come on that at a later date) and chat with the creator and adorable kids from ‘black~ish. This new show on ABC is hysterical. From the first episode through the most recent, I have laughed to the point of tears. Seriously if you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? I was super excited to sit down and chat with the shows creator, Kenya Barris and the “Johnson kids” kids: Yara Shahidi who plays Zoey, Marcus Scribner plays Andre Jr., and Miles Brown and Marsai Martin, who play the adorable twins Jack & Diane *cue the song I know you are singing in your head right now*
Talking With Kenya
When asked what Black-ish meant, Kenya said “I think it’s really just a word, we feel like from our characters point of view, that the world is a lot more homogenized for his kids, than it ever was. I have five kids too, I’m from Inglewood, I looked at my kids and the way I grew up, my definition or what I thought being black was, is not what my kids are living. At the same time, we are a little bit black-ish, a lesser version of what I thought, growing up, it was for me. I looked at all their friends, who interestingly enough, are not black and they were a little bit more of what I thought black was growing up. I don’t think there is a black or white kids left in America, they’re all just sort of a blend of everything else. Asian, Latino, etc, I just think we all have kind of blended in this sort of homongenized new layer of what America is. As a father, he’s (Anthony) dealing with that and his father dealt with something different. It’s kind of three generations talking about where we are today.”
What did Kenya’s wife think of all the references within the show to their family, since it is based around the life he lived? “It’s really my life, Laurence’s life, Anthony’s life, etc. It’s inception was based on my family, my son, who is six, thinks he’s Jack. With the spanking episode, when he didn’t get it, he was like ‘Ah that was a close one’. So, I think it’s fun for them, I know it’s fun for me. It’s an amazing blessing and miracle to sit up and see something that sort of came from my life.”
If you, like us, were wondering if he shopped the series around to other networks and if those networks were interested, the answer is yes. At first they were thrilled with such a good time slot, then the “OH MY GOSH we got this great slot” hit. When you make it your are a hero and when you miss it you lost the game, kinda thing. They went and sold it to all the networks, everyone wanted it. Ultimately ABC is who they decided to go with because the people said the only way they wanted to do the show was to do an honest version of it.
Chatting with the kids
Not only did we get to chat with the creator but we also got to sit down with the awesome kids who play the Jones kids in the show! I am sure being a child, in this acting world, can be overwhelming, but these four kids handled everything with ease and grace!
As I am not an actor myself, of course I was curious what it was like working on set, here is what the kids had to say:
Yara – It’s absolutely hilarious on set, of course and then being able to work with such amazing comedic veterans, I feel like I am learning so much from being on set. It doesn’t even feel like work, I get up in the morning and I am like ‘Wait, I have to go to work today’, then I came on the set and I was having a dandy fun time. It just feels like another enjoyable experience.
Marcus – Yeah, working on set, with all the veteran actors, is an amazing experience. It’s awesome every day to come to work and learn something new from them. Let’s be honest, they are all comedic geniuses. It’s pretty awesome.
Marsi: They are like our mentors at acting now, because it doesn’t feel like work, we feel like a real family. It’s not like work, it’s like fun stuff. Acting with Anthony, Tracee, and Lawrence, they feel like a real family. We bond as a family, together we are unstoppable.
Favorite Episode for the group was the pilot episode, because it was where they all really got to know each other. It was really a bonding experience. Of course we wanted to know if any of them were like their characters in real life.
Yara: Character wise, I am not very close to Zoey, because I am always reading and such. I spent my summer in Oxford taking two history classes and I have to be reminded that people might want to know that black-ish is coming on tonight, you should probably post something. I usually forget my phone. Fashion wise, maybe not the same fashion but I am into fashion. Otherwise, I’m pretty different.
Marcus: I play la crosse, I love playing lacrosse and have played it since second grade. So, I guess that would be pretty similar to field hockey. I am pretty close to Andre Jr., I feel like most of the conversations that have happened in the show, have happened to me in real life.
Miles: I am close to my character in real life. I like playing sports.
Marsi: My character Diane, is pretty into social media, and so am I. I am pretty perky, but I don’t have siblings, this is my first experience with siblings. I like computers very much, I am pretty sporty, I did gymnastics and cheer.
Their friends and family are very supportive. Whether it be family, friends, even teachers, they have a huge support system! Which, from a parent perspective is so very important. Not only did we get to chat with the creator and the kids but also the kids real life parents!
Parental Guidance
At least one parent of each kid, is always on set! Marsai got into acting when she was 4, simply from having photos taken. Yara’s mom was a commercial actress and so she started there, then got a script for an Eddie Murphy movie and now she is the oldest daughter on Black-ish. Marcus’ dad actually pushed him to do sports, then he tried acting and loved it. Miles started as a dancer, which led to America’s Got Talent, and a few tv apperances before getting cast in this role!
Keeping life normal is a big part of the parents. They are there to support them on set, comfort them when need be, and just be the parent. Each kids is still a normal kid, with those same responsibilities our kids have. They wash dishes, take out the trash, walk the dog and do all the other normal kid stuff. It was so refreshing to see the parents keeping their kids down to earth, even with this awesome opportunity! I have much respect for them!
Thank you so much to Kenya, the kids and the parents for taking the time to sit and chat with me. I had such a blast and look forward to all the episodes of black-ish that are to come. black-ish” airs on Wednesdays (9:31-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.
Disney sent me to Los Angeles to attend a press event. My expenses were paid for the trip but no other compensation was paid and all opinions are my own.
Toni Patton
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