Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out, Atlanta) is by far my favorite breakout actor. This summer he will star in a film called Sorry To Bother You. The film is described as follows:
In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a macabre universe.
In the trailer, we see an old-head (Danny Glover) school Lakeith’s character on how it is important to switch up his voice in order to make more money at a telemarketing company.
While I do not know how this movie will end, the commentary on code-switching is so important. For those that do not know, code-switching has been a tactic used by people of color, as well as those with strong accents, to alternate the sound of their voice to sound more like the dominant culture, i.e. “sounding white”.
Growing up, it was never told to me to switch up my voice but the implications were definitely there. When I would hear my mom speak to the phone company or pay her bills, her voice would definitely be completely different than the voice I would hear when I was being yelled at. It is an unspoken truth in the Blakc community that we must switch up how we act, talk, dress, and behave so that we do not portray stereotypical Black, negro, coon behavior.
I cannot wait to see how this movie turns out because I think it will spark great dialogue just as Get Out did.
