In an exclusive interview with The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, This Is Us actor Sterling K. Brown explains the importance of having black representation on television.
This Is Us is a 2016 NBC drama that follows a group of individuals that are all connected from unexpected events.
Brown came on the show to talk about his Emmy nominations and his work with One Million Truths, an initiative that highlights Black experiences with racism in America.
Noah congratulated Brown on his nominations for This is Us and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
"One thing I’ve always enjoyed about This is Us is it’s an interesting look at how much people can love each other,” he said. “You play a character where you’re part of a family where, even though you share so many things, there’s still something that separates you and that is the color of your skin."
Even though the show’s demographic has a white majority, Brown hopes that his character Randall gives viewers a chance to see him as a human being first before skin color.
"There’s opportunities I have to make conversations with people who may not have those conversations with people that looks like me, and by virtue of them seeing me in their home 18 times a week, they can say, like, ‘that’s dude Randall, he’s just like me,’” he said. “So hopefully the next time they see me, or anybody that looks like me, they can lean in rather than step away,” he said.
Brown went on to describe the organization One Million Truths. He described the importance of showcasing black stories on the big screen.
He said, “I think it’s a centralized way for Black folks to see other people’s stories and for allies who are interested to see that the experiences that their friends have told them about are not a one-off, that it’s not just something that happened in an isolated incident, that these isolated incidents are happening over and over again all over the country. Maybe by having one place where people can go and see, like, ‘oh life for Black people in this country is not the same as it is for me.’”
Toward the end of the interview, Brown emphasized that he wants to show black youth in America that their experiences have meaning.
"Seeing yourself on screen validates your life, and so I want to tell stories where people of color or in marginalized groups are front and center, they’re not necessarily the sidekick or the goofy friend, but their story is about them. Because when you see yourself you know that your story is as important as anybody else’s," he said.
This Is Us is set to return in September 2020 on NBC.