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Michael Davis Talks To Orlando Jones About American Gods and Fighting Bullies – From The Edge

Published Wed, 18 Dec 2019 05:40:55 -0600

Last updated Wed, 27 Jan 2021 07:19:11 -0600

Michael Davis is an artist, writer, mentor, entertainment executive and co-founder of Milestone. He writes,

Full disclosure: Both Orlando Jones and Neil Gaiman are friends of mine take from that what you will.

"I want to tell you guys a story about Orlando Jones."

Above is the first line of several tweets about Orlando Jones. The author's name is Jeanae, mother of a bright son named Owen. Her tweets recount the story of how Orlando heard about Owen's dream to become an actor and how that dream was being dampened by bullies.

This is what came back to me from Orlando Jones when I asked how he's doing. I reached out to Orlando when I first heard of his firing from American Gods. It's not surprising Orlando's thoughts are about Owen as he is a fierce advocate of empowering the next generation. Orlando didn't send an autographed photo with 'hang in there champ' written in Sharpie to Owen, no he went to see the young man.

Owen was 10 at the time shy, bullied for his love of books, acting & journalism, embarrassed about his glasses. That was until he met an actor who looked like him.

Needless to say, years later, that meeting had an impact on Owen. Having an impact on any kid is meaningful, but for kids of color, it is necessary.

Our role models are there but are few. Seldom is the lead story on the news, one of some exalted achievement of a person of color.

You will, on the other hand, find lead stories about people of color that project the worse kind of image. That's been an on-going battle in the media made worse not better by ever-advancing technology.

Orlando and the American Gods Showrunner are all the rave the last few days. It may have been a blip on the news radar but for a few choice words from a few people who think little of what they say or more likely think what they say is all you need to know.

Now that blip has become a giant issue for the showrunner, Starz, the network, and the television industry. It is an ugly situation to be sure. Water, they say, seeks its own level, so this ugly has attached itself to another ugly over at America's got talent.

The termination would never have gotten this kind of noise, yes Mr. Nancy was one of if not the most popular character on the show. Yes, comic book fantasy and die-hard Gaiman fans would have reacted, but so what? No one listens to geeks; there would be no mainstream rush to pick up CBR to get the skinny no one would care but should have.

What made this a huge problem was showrunner's Charles Eglee's reason for not bringing the character back for Season 3. He thought Mr. Nancy's manner sent the "…wrong message for black America."

Mr. Eglee, I know the wrong messages to send. Wrong messages are friends of mine. What YOU said; was the WRONG message, and you're no Jack Kennedy.

Over at America got talent; they made a decision to can Gabrielle Union because she wouldn't keep quiet about race-related issues. The producers also had taken issue with how Ms. Union appeared on camera.

Some say she came across as way too Black. Man, some folk are way too full of themselves.

A white person telling a Black person what's good for Black America is the stuff of an era, dare I say, gone with the wind. I'm sure Mr. Eglee and those at AGT are not racists but their white privilege is showing.

I am not qualified on any level to decide what message should be sent to any group I am not a part of. Many Black friends and love of Jay-Z gives no white person the sway to decide what's good for any group outside of their own. That's just something you don't do Mr. Eglee.

Simon Cowell is a fantastic music producer but whoever on his staff was charged with telling a Black woman how to wear her hair should realize now that's something you just don't do…and live.

Silly puns aside, this is serious stuff. Both Orlando and Ms. Union have taken a dangerous risk with their careers. Yes, they are popular sort after performers, but speaking truth to power has crushed many who have gone down that path.

I know full well what speaking truth to power may do to your career.

After Milestone Media, a company I co-founded, signed a publishing deal with DC Comics, a weekend summit was set up to create a template for the two companies to work together.

The white head of marketing at the time had other ideas. Chief among them telling the four Black men in the room how Black people lived. For most of his 'birth of a nation' bullshit, there was little feedback from the Milestone side. Why engage this clown? We had no intention of using any of his shallow suggestions.

Then it got real.

He insisted we use appropriate language in our comic books.

By appropriate, he meant profanity. Yeah, he thought it was a brilliant idea to have our characters be 'real.'

Page 1
Full page spread.
Icon is flying high above the city he spots a young black boy drinking from a juice box while also carrying school books.

Page 2
Panel 1
Icon lands a few feet in front of the kid, startling him, making him drop the juice box.

Icon: Good morning, young man, I see you're on the way to school. Education is the key to becoming a useful member of society.

Panel 2
The kid is looking down at his fallen juice box, which is still salvageable as the carton is closed and the straw undamaged.

Panel 3
The kid begins to reach for the juice box. Icon is oblivious to anything but the sound of his own voice.

Icon: I remember the days when I was in school, I loved each and every moment of those glorious times!

Panel 4
Right before the kid can pick up his juice box, Icon has stepped forward and crushed it beneath his feet. Juice splashes everywhere, including the boy's face.

Page 3
Full page spread
The kid is wiping the juice from his face and looking directly at Icon. He is pissed:
Black Kid: Yo, BITCH. You best come correct with some dead presidents for another one these motherf-cker!

I recounted something just as absurd at the retreat as a joke, yes, but to illustrate just how wrong this 'real' undertaking would be.

My wrong was just right for (let's call him) Bruce. I kid you not the Icon example was a perfectly acceptable exchange for him. He wanted these books to be 'powerful' and 'real,' reflecting his profound knowledge of Black America, of which he had none.

There were many reasons his suggestions were ridiculous, but first among mine was revenue. A Black comic book company is still a hard sell but consider what the climate was in the early '90s.

Congress was looking to censure Rap, Warner Bros. DC's parent had pulled Ice-T's 'Cop killer' off the shelf Spike Lee's Malcolm X was creating its own controversy, and this nincompoop wanted us to have our characters be 'real' in of all things a comic book.

Goodbye, mainstream bible belt and schools, black churches, black expos, and most significant Black parents and grandparents.

"Thanks for the comics, bitch." Said no Black or Brown kid to his parents ever.

American Gods and America's got talent's 'real' is, of course, what's real according to a white person. This is not to suggest that those making decisions about Black performers at either show are racist.

The odds of Neil Gaiman working with racists are less than zero. No, I think it's the culture of the powerful. Those who are of that mindset seldom hear no, any debate or outright opposition is rarer still.

I told Bruce his idea was a mistake from a business standpoint illustrated with a powerful example of wordplay.

The result?

Banned from DC Comics. I often wonder if I'd use another argument instead of a
business one I'd still be welcome at DC. I stepped out of my lane as a creator and into where decisions were made for me.

Pointing out what an idiot could see did not sit well with Bruce.

Our books would have died quick fast and (this for you Bruce) in a mother fucking hurry.

Orlando, Gabrielle, and my stories are not rare.

Many speak out and often pay a price.
Google outspoken Black entertainers and see just how many are in the 'whatever happened to' lane. What's rare is the level of attention they have received.

Make that the level of attention Orlando and Gabrielle have received.
Me? I told you nobody listens to geeks.

To speak truth to power is hard; knowingly putting your career at risk is harder. Doing
so because it's the right thing to do, is what makes real heroes.

I had little to lose; DC already was screwing me, so speaking out was no significant risk. If they were the only game, I knew how to play nod and smile may have been my response. I hope not, but who can say?

That brings us to now. Where does all this go?

What moves are being made by who? No doubt Starz and Fremantle American God's production are in damage control, especially since the new narrative isn't 'what's good for Black America' but that Orlando clashed with the new showrunner. In other words, he was difficult.

Neat trick since Orlando had never met Charles Eglee.

Damn, how difficult do you have to be for someone to say you've difficult and has never met you? That, 'he's difficult' approach wasn't a smart move. Now everything coming out of the American God camp is suspect.

The network will say,'difficult' was a mistake. Others will say 'difficult' was a bald-faced lie. What narrative will prevail?

It's difficult to say.

The last few days must have been insane for all parties involved. The network, the show, showrunner, cast, writers, producers Neil, and of course, Orlando.

It's a sure bet the network Fremantle as well as Mr.Eglee are all thinking about spin. After Orlando's righteous but controversial comments I was interested in what he was focused on when I reached out to my friend.

He was focused on Owen.

What follow is a kind of but not really interview Orlando was kind enough to share his thoughts after some very hard days.

Michael: This has got to be painful.

Orlando: What hurts most is that I have never seen an African God represented in TV or film.

Michael: American Gods had a few.

Orlando: Let alone 3! One of which was raised in a matriarchal society.

Michael: The character bible you wrote for the show defined much of how they were represented, how did the show's producers react to your vision?

Orlando: Anansi worships Bilquis – that's what Neil Gaiman was excited about in my character bible. A dark-skinned African Goddess is Anansi's Queen.

Michael: When I asked where your head was at you sent me the clip about Owen. That made me tear up man. All this shit and your thoughts are about this kid.

Orlando: Representation matters. My connection with this young man and how it impacted his life (and others) is the sole purpose of my art.

Michael: You've been on that trip for as long as I've known you. Has this ordeal soured you in any way?

Orlando: It's a business of people.
I'm a person.
I'm a fan.
I came here to have fun. This isn't fun. This is what it feels like when you're fighting a bully.

For that fight my money is on Orlando. If he needs any help, there's millions of fans who have his back I'm one of them Owen's another.
Black women, now may be the time to embrace the lie of all y'all being angry.

I hear from a valued source angry gets shit done.

(This article has been updated)