Robert Townsend on How ‘Hollywood Shuffle’ Paved the Way for Modern Black Satire

You can tell that a film has reached legendary status when the behind-the-scenes story is as well-known as its funniest quotes. Such is the case with Robert Townsend’s seminal debut Hollywood Shuffle, an equally absurd and incisive satire about Black stereotypes in Hollywood movies.

So it’s about time for that indie classic be canonized. On Feb. 28, Hollywood Shuffle enters the Criterion Collection, receiving a director-approved, special edition Blu-ray with new cast interviews and audio commentary featuring Townsend.

The personal events that inspired Hollywood Shuffle, as well as the financial challenges Townsend encountered while making it, provide as much insight on the racial politics of the movie industry as its hilarious script. After studying improv in his native Chicago, including at Second City, Townsend moved to Los Angeles in the early ’80s to pursue his dream of Hollywood stardom. Like many aspiring Black actors, particularly during that post-Blaxploitation period, he noticed a dearth of roles outside of offensive stereotypes and broadly written caricatures.

Read more at The Daily Beast.