Watch: Lakeith Stanfield on the diversity in Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’

LaKeith Stanfield shares his thoughts on investing in Black filmmakers and casts at Essence Fest.

Jul 6, 2023

LaKeith Stanfield has never shied his opinions from the public. But in this interview, he shares his appreciation for the majority Black leading cast in the upcoming Disney film “The Haunted Mansion.”

LaKieth Stanfield [00:00:00] It makes me excited as an artist to be a part of things like that, and especially as a Black artist, because that means we’re able to occupy spaces that we may not have been seen in before and just help push that bar along and help humanize ourselves unilaterally. I really appreciate Disney and any company that wants to push boundaries, do something different, step into uncharted waters, or just push what they expectation was a little bit more.

It makes me excited as an artist to be a part of things like that and especially as a Black artist, because that means we’re able to occupy spaces that we may not have been seen in before and just help push that bar along and help humanize ourselves unilaterally. So I’m really excited about that and glad to be here at a time where this transition is taking place. But we’re taking more chances. I think audiences want to see that.

They’re starting to want to see things that are different than what we’re used to seeing on their own, the sort of the will of creativity. So I’m really glad to be here, glad to be a creative in the conversation of pushing it forward. And I want to see more of it. So let’s continue on in this fashion. Higher Black and just do that.

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