Why Are There No Black Female Action Heroes?
Uma Thurman kicked butt in “Kill Bill,” Quentin Tarantino’s two-part martial arts action thriller. A few years earlier, Angelina Jolie brought Lara Croft’s TombRaider to the big screen. A few years earlier still, the fate of the modern world rested upon the diminutive shoulders of one fire-haired Milla Jovovich, in the futuristic adventure movie, “The Fifth Element.” These are just a few examples of popular action films featuring beautiful and tough leading ladies. But if you take inventory of Hollywood’s most successful action films starring women, you’ll notice one thing in particular-a distinct absence of African-American faces. Is it just a coincidence that the majority of the strong female action heroes happen to fall into other ethnic categories? Is it that directors don’t find black actresses attractive enough to play strong action leads? That probably is not the case. But there is indeed a definite shortage of African-American women playing tough lead roles. But some of the rea
