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Five Questions With Antoinette Robertson: Star of Netflix’s “Dear White People”
(This story originally appeared on HuffPost in early 2017 — but the site recently and abruptly decided to release bloggers without notice — and in the process rejected this piece. I’ve decided to republish it on Medium because the subject deserves the exposure for her brilliant work on the show.)
Actress Antoinette Robertson is on the cusp of stardom and that has a lot to do with her starring role in Netflix’s upcoming series, Dear White People — which is based on the 2014 film with the same title. Filmmaker and actor, Justin Simien helped to create the TV version of his hit offering — that single-handedly revised the discussion of race relations in a country still struggling to find common ground in the face of national turmoil.
The series is set to debut on April 28, 2017, but there has already been a swarm of controversy surrounding the socially provocative logline that sets up the main characters as Black students navigating the complexity of racial harmony at an Ivy League college.
The trailer for the show debuted back in February, and was met with widespread criticism from those who deemed it “anti-white” or disturbingly offensive — to the point of warranting a form of protest and some subscribers threatened to boycott Netflix for hosting the satirical series.
Robertson is right at the center of things as she takes on the mantle from Survivor’s Remorse actress, Teyonah Parris who portrayed the beautiful but strong-willed and ambitious Coco Conners in the film version.
Antoinette Robertson, who was raised in Jamaica but describes herself as a native of Bronx, NY, has steadily populated her resume with evidence of her versatility and penchant for roles that display her charisma and remarkable beauty.
From impressive turns in critically acclaimed shows like Hart of Dixie and the most recently hailed Atlanta, Robertson has developed a stellar reputation that has everything to do with her seamless work…
