by Allison Hambrick
The third day of aTVfest started with a screening of ABC’s “Mixed-ish.” The second spinoff from the popular ABC comedy “Black-ish,” “Mixed-ish” tells the story of Rainbow Johnson, played by Tracee Ellis-Ross in “Black-ish,” growing up in the 80s as a member of a mixed-race family. This heartfelt show stars Arica Himmel as the younger Rainbow as well as ‘Saved By the Bell’s’ Mark-Paul Gosselear as her father and Tika Sumpter as her mother, all of whom joined SCAD for a brief Q&A after the screening.
The actors, joined by series co-creator Peter Saji, shared their experiences both going into the show and since they have been working together. Saji states that “genesis of the idea” came from his time writing for Rainbow’s character on “Black-ish.” Kenya Barris, creator of both shows, approached him with an interest in doing a spinoff covering her early life. He hesitated, but ultimately chose to move forward with the project, a decision that he doesn’t regret because it allows for real discussions about the issues the show tackles.
“It’s about being empathetic to experiences while telling a story, all for the good of the show,” said Sumpter. The cast expressed a desire for authenticity in how they present themselves while remaining sensitive to the nature of the stories they are telling. Their on-set motto is: “if we don’t all feel comfortable or safe, the jokes are mean.”
As for addressing students, Sumpter offers this advice to young creatives: “Nothing is a given in this industry. You have to be super focused on what you want to do and hustle. Treat things as a learning moment and don’t be discouraged.”
New episodes of “Mixed-ish” air on ABC Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
