“Why Can’t The Kids See Black Panther?” Bahamian Actor Bashes “Outdated” Movie Rating System!
A second Bahamian stunt man from the hit blockbuster Black Panther has emerged and he’s talking to eLIFE242 about what he’s calling archaic and outdated movie rating systems in The Bahamas!
Vaughndino Forbes is one of two Bahamians actors with credits in the uber popular and now record-breaking film. He plays one of the Nigerian militants shown early in the film.
But while he’s boasting the movie’s success and probably poppin’ bottles while celebrating his first role in a studio film, Vaughndio is shaking his head at the fact that his little brother and younger members of his family have been banned from seeing the movie, that finally gives Black youngsters the representation they’ve been needing to see on the big screen.
“I was furious to learn that my brother who is six-years-old cannot see Black Panther because of an archaic and outdated movie ratings system with our country and it’s just stupid,” he told us. “Every Black child should be allowed to see this movie because of what it represents. It gives them strong Black idols to look up to and everyone else in the world is allowing children to be inspired but, The Bahamas.”
Vaughndio says after a friend randomly text him and told him to send a photo himself, he got a call from Andy Gill, the stunt coordinator for the movie. He says after months of phone calls and having to learn various accents, he booked the gig as stunt actor in Black Panther!
“Being on the set was a dream come true,” he adds. “It was so big and there were so many people working on it in separate teams from visual effects to prop fabrication and everything you could possibly imagine on a movie set. It was really cold in Georgia at the time and it was amazing to see Ryan Coogler and the almost all Black cast work for the short time that I got to work this movie that means so much to our culture and heritage.”
Vaughndio says this is why he’s upset that local ratings have prevented youngsters from seeing the film.
The local rating is T, which only allows viewers 15 and older to see the film.
“My brother’s mom told me that he was denied entry into the movie theatre while with her,” the actor adds. “She told me that he cried so much. This movie is giving so much inspiration to younger kids for the future and we don’t allow them to become a dreamer? Watching films is how I was inspired to pursue this career. What message are you sending if you don’t allow your youth to be inspired and want to be greater?
“In the US the rating is PG-13 which is a standard for Marvel movies in the US and children can be chaperoned in the theatre. Celebrities have been buying tickets for inner-city youth of all ages to see this movie. It’s important for people of colour to see this movie because it shows that we can be strong, intelligent, and wise, without being some illiterate gangster or comic relief as a token character on a show. It shows children that there are heroes that look like them which is seriously lacking in Hollywood. I’ve started noticing the shift. This movie has broken tons of myths about movies featuring people of colour.”
Vaughndio says he plans on reaching out to the film board to express his concerns!