Bill Cosby fires Showtime documentary director W. Kamau Bell We need to talk about Cosby., such as “PR Hack”. But cosby show The star and the accused serial offender appear to be a small minority. No less a New York Times institution has stated that Bell’s series is “a model of how to honestly engage with shameful artists and their art.”
In her four-part Emmy series, Bell examines Cosby’s achievements in the entertainment industry and her strong influence on American culture, while also addressing dozens of allegations from women that Cosby was addicted to drugs and sexually assaulted. Cosby’s alleged series of sexual assaults continued for decades, starting in the 1960s.
“Before I started studying him, I didn’t know he was going to be back so early in his career, until he really became a super famous comedian, before he really became very famous,” Bell said when he appeared in Deadline’s virtual home. A panel to review your series. “I think it’s one of the shocking things.”
Bell interviewed many of Cosby’s accusers, including Lily Bernard, an African American actress who had a guest role in the episode. cosby show In the early 1990s. Appearing with Bell on the panel, Bernard spoke about the brutal retaliation he faced for his allegations.
“As a black male who survived Bill Cosby, speaking out is an added burden because we black women are culturally committed to supporting the image of a black male,” said Bernard. “The company is investing to elevate the image of the black man, which is being diminished by the media. Therefore, it is generally against the status quo of a black society to speak out against black male criminals. It is a shame to say that the demographic of people who attacked, blamed and humiliated me the most are men of color … to have someone as brave, courageous, compassionate and respectful as Kamua give our votes for such objective purposes. The road, life just changes “.
Bell has received three Emmy Awards for her work on the CNN non-fiction series Shadows of America with W. Kamau Bell. In We need to talk about Cosby.He admits that he feels some anxiety in front of a Cosby-like icon, as he has become a fan of the comedian’s works, including his children’s cartoon show. the fat alberto. But he says it was Cosby’s testimony that made him insist.
“They ask everyone to tell their stories often,” Bell said. “Their stories have turned into rumors. And because so many of them said they knew my work, they trusted me to accept it differently, which would have honored them. So for me, that’s what kept me going. “
Cosby has been out of jail for about a year after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his 2018 conviction for aggravated lewd assault, thus judging Cosby’s under-5 rights.myself and 14myself The amendments to the constitution were violated. The comedian is still threatened with civil action by Bernard and other defendants; He has consistently denied him allegations of him.
The series has a total duration of 237 minutes. Producer Katie A. King said that, even with this length, it wasn’t easy to spoil the narrative in all its nuances.
“In the end, the challenge was: how do we adapt all of this? “Because there were so many stories to tell, so many decades of history to tell, so many things that had happened,” King said. “We catch him when he, the surprise, gets out of prison and we say, God. For example, now we have even more stories to tell. And it was even more thrilling and terrifying for many of us that he is now free. “
King added, “We also had a great team on this topic and everyone added their perspectives and insights. We are all proud of how it ended. “
Watch the conversation in the video above.
Source: Deadline