Jussie Smollett objected to his 'Empire' character having a white boyfriend
Sun. November 18, 2018 8:08 AM by OnTopMag.com
jussie smollett performs in chicago
photo credit // steven koch
Out actor Jussie Smollett said in a recent radio interview that he did not want his Empire character to have a white boyfriend.
The 36-year-old Smollett has received rave reviews for his portrayal of musician Jamal Lyons on the Fox drama Empire.
Appearing on SiriusXM's The Clay Cane Show, Smollett said that it was important for viewers to see a loving relationship between two black men.
"There was talk about Jamal having a white boyfriend and I said, 'F**k no!' Not for any reason except we have a responsibility and we have a such a beautiful opportunity to show two black men in a relationship together, in a healthy relationship," Smollett said.
"But it was important to say and that wasn't anything against white men. It was just a thing of no, no, no, no... this is what I hope, this what I want to see, this what I wished I had seen as a kid because if I had seen certain things as an adolescent I would have had a much different understanding of who I am in an earlier space. I do think that is important to show," he said.
Smollett went on to praise the film Moonlight, which follows an African-American man who struggles to come out gay over three periods of his life while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
"It was just beautiful," he said. "It was also not about sexuality, it was actually about masculinity and the rules that are put on little boys, specifically little black boys, from the moment that they are born that we never really talk about."
Photos: Jussie Smollett performs at Chicago's AT&T Flagship Store on Michigan Ave.
The 36-year-old Smollett has received rave reviews for his portrayal of musician Jamal Lyons on the Fox drama Empire.
Appearing on SiriusXM's The Clay Cane Show, Smollett said that it was important for viewers to see a loving relationship between two black men.
"There was talk about Jamal having a white boyfriend and I said, 'F**k no!' Not for any reason except we have a responsibility and we have a such a beautiful opportunity to show two black men in a relationship together, in a healthy relationship," Smollett said.
"But it was important to say and that wasn't anything against white men. It was just a thing of no, no, no, no... this is what I hope, this what I want to see, this what I wished I had seen as a kid because if I had seen certain things as an adolescent I would have had a much different understanding of who I am in an earlier space. I do think that is important to show," he said.
Smollett went on to praise the film Moonlight, which follows an African-American man who struggles to come out gay over three periods of his life while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
"It was just beautiful," he said. "It was also not about sexuality, it was actually about masculinity and the rules that are put on little boys, specifically little black boys, from the moment that they are born that we never really talk about."
Photos: Jussie Smollett performs at Chicago's AT&T Flagship Store on Michigan Ave.
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine