At their best, celebrities during a crisis can do one of two things: provide fun and relaxing distraction with their talent, or use their platform to make change happen. And one distinct way famous people can do the latter and own up to their part in injustice, is by reckoning with their own showbiz careers.
This week in the United States, every single state featured some degree of protesting against the country’s history of police brutality, making it an awkward time to be a cop. It’s also a weird time to even be an actor playing a cop in movies and TV shows.
A number of Hollywood performers have made some impressive donations to bail funds and not-for-profit organisations in acknowledgement of the role they themselves have played in glamorising or perpetuating unrealistic law enforcement narratives.
The first was comedian and podcaster Griffin Newman, who racked up $11,000 for a minor guest appearance on the crime procedural Blue Bloods. Newman’s contribution was quickly matched by Stephanie Beatriz, who currently plays tough detective Rosa on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
I’m an out-of-work actor who (improbably) played a detective on two episodes of BLUE BLOODS almost a decade ago.
If you currently play a cop?
If you make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in residuals from playing a cop?
I’ll let you do the math. pic.twitter.com/En4ww2OSjP
— Griffin Newman (@GriffLightning) June 2, 2020
I’m an actor who plays a detective on tv.
If you currently play a cop?
If you make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in residuals from playing a cop?
I’ll let you do the math. (Thanks @GriffLightning for leading the way). pic.twitter.com/Xxf3dU0urF
— Stephanie Beatriz (@iamstephbeatz) June 2, 2020
From there, the show-runner of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Dan Goor, led the show’s cast in announcing an even greater donation to the National Bail Fund Network, freeing protestors nationwide. By now the ball was well and truly rolling, with everyone from staff writers on tangentially related TV shows, to one-time high school musical performers joining in.
#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd https://t.co/mwCLtdpW0p pic.twitter.com/Z8HRCTvZD3
— Dan Goor (@djgoor) June 3, 2020
I'm a writer who writes about NYPD's SVU. We strive to depict the uneven distribution of justice in society, but our stories are mostly told from the POV of our dedicated detectives. Inspired by @GriffLightning and @iamstephbeatz I'm donating $11,000 to NAACP Legal Defense Fund pic.twitter.com/gotaoCiFpD
— Warren Leight (@warrenleightTV) June 3, 2020
I wrote an episode of “Grace and Frankie” where @JaneFonda gets loaded in a Home Depot and rams a cop car in a rascal scooter? pic.twitter.com/91ocmwpYRA
— Julieanne Smolinski (@BoobsRadley) June 3, 2020
I played a cop in my high school production of Annie. pic.twitter.com/EQPtF61AP5
— Eric Owens (@EricDOwens) June 2, 2020
It’ll be fascinating to see whether the current protests have any remarkable impact on the future of cop procedurals, even those as warm and seemingly innocuous as Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But whether the past week’s news changes these shows or not, it’s fairly heartening to see their creators and cast taking some initiative in their subject matter’s real-world implications.
