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47 of Your Favorite Black Netflix Actors and Creators Are Front and Center in This New Ad

Jun 26 2018 - 6:30am

During the BET Awards on June 24 [1], Netflix released an incredibly powerful advertisement spotlighting 47 black actors and creators as part of the streaming service's Strong Black Lead initiative. Titled "A Great Day in Hollywood," the spot was directed by Lacey Duke and inspired by the legendary "A Great Day in Harlem" photo, which captured notable jazz musicians in front of a brownstone apartment back in 1958. The Netflix ad is narrated by 16-year-old Stranger Things [2] actor Caleb McLaughlin and features other familiar faces, including Ava DuVernay [3], Laverne Cox, Lena Waithe, Mike Colter, and Spike Lee, to name a few.

"This is a new day, built from the ground broken by legends — a day for our generation to see untold experiences of our blackness," McLaughlin begins, as the camera pans out to reveal the final frame of all 47 stars standing in front of an apartment building. "We're not a genre because there's no one way to be black. We're writing while black. Nuanced and complex; resilient and strong. This is not a moment. This is a movement."

The ad dropped just a few days after Netflix's chief communications officer, Jonathan Friedland, was fired for using racial slurs [4]. Despite that, the video has garnered tons of support from Netflix fans everywhere. Watch the captivating ad below to hear Netflix's empowering message about inclusivity, and keep reading to see just a sampling of the emotional reactions it's received so far.

Watch the Full Video Here:

Read Through Some of the Spot-On Reactions Below:


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Netflix-Great-Day-Hollywood-Ad-Video-44979292