“We’re making incredible strides,” “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams told the crowd Thursday night at the HRTS Foundation Gala at the Beverly Hilton.
Williams spoke about the progress he sees on diversity, equity and inclusion issues in Hollywood during a a 15-minute Q&A with Odetta Watkins, president of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society and head of drama series for Amazon MGM Studios, held as part of the organization’s annual fundraiser. Williams, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 2022 for “Take Me Out,” was feted by HRTS for his work as an actor, director, producer and activist.
“There’s been a letting in of new voices — a widening of the bottleneck,” Williams told Watkins, adding that creatives from under-represented backgrounds have gained authority and authorship of their stories. “We’re not tokenized,” he said. He also cautioned the industry and actors, writers and directors of color to remember that it’s a marathon not a sprint. “We don’t want to put too much pressure [on creatives] to make up for lost time,” he said. “True freedom is the ability to be mediocre.”
Williams detailed his unusual career arc that included working early on as an activist and as a high school teacher. As he approached the age of 30, he set his sights on acting although law school was also a something he considered.
Williams also spoke of working with the legendary Norman Lear on the 2016 Epix documentary series “America Divided,” about the political, social and racial fault lines in contemporary U.S. culture. Williams recalled conversations with the prolific producer, who died Dec. 5 at age 101, about the profound influence that TV and movies have on society.
With “All in the Family” and other groundbreaking series, Lear “tapped into a crucible of truth — dealing with pain through laughter was the throughline narrative of his shows,” Williams said.
Williams learned an important lesson from Lear for his work as producer. “Never do it for them,” Williams recalls Lear telling him about compromising too much especially in the effort to make a project more appealing to a wider audience. “Follow through on your vision. Don’t chop off too much of your vision for an unknown other,” Williams said.
The HRTS event, hosted by comedian Matt Friend, included a salute to the 2023 HRTS Fellows program, which offers mentoring and networking sessions with industry insiders for 15 participants who are pursuing careers in entertainment.
(Pictured: HRTS president Odetta Watkins and Jesse Williams)
