(Countering) Racial Stereotypes in Hollywood: A Case Study of 'Just Mercy' (2019)

The Hollywood movie scene has long been and still is to a great extent, dominated by highly problematic stereotypical portrayals of Black males rooted in the slavery era. However, recently new efforts are made to increase ‘diversity’ in Hollywood movie production teams and casts using a so-called inclusion rider to ensure that these are equipped with adequate knowledge surrounding Blacks to accurately represent their reality. Drawing on secondary data using hybrid content analysis, this thesis aims to research the presence of stereotypes and counter-stereotypes in inclusion rider movies with ‘Just Mercy’ (2019) as its case study. The findings show that not only does ‘Just Mercy’ contains significantly more counter-stereotypes than stereotypes: it goes beyond this by acknowledging instances of prejudice, discrimination, and racism. By doing so, it addresses the thin line between stereotype reproduction and realism, shows potential for other inclusion rider movies to also weaken the activation of existing stereotypes, and provides a basis for the public to critically reflect on the constructed realities they consume in the entertainment industry.