When Chris Chalk showed up as Dick Hallorann in Episode 2 of HBO's It: Welcome to Derry, Stephen King fans likely clocked the name immediately. This is the same character from The Shining, the friendly Overlook Hotel chef with those titular psychic abilities. In Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film, he tries (and fails) to help save Danny Torrance from his father, and is brutally killed. In King's original novel, he helps Wendy and Danny get away and survives.This version of Hallorann matters too.Spoilers for the show below! - YouTube www.youtube.com In a recent interview with Variety, Chalk explained that his take on the character addresses a longstanding criticism of The Shining and King's work in general. Scatman Crothers' Hallorann fell into a particular trope in which a Black character exists primarily to help white protagonists, usually through supernatural means, and often has no real story of their own."He's literally a Magical Negro," Chalk told Variety. "But the trouble with a Magical Negro is that they’re the only motherfuckin’ Black person in the movie."Spike Lee is credited with pointing out and naming the stereotype.Be Aware of Overused Tropes in Your Writing We should aim to write full, well-developed characters all the time. Writers and filmmakers, ask yourself—does this character exist only to serve another character's journey? Do they have their own desires, conflicts, and relationships? Am I using this character to represent something "mystical" and "other"? If your answers reveal a pattern, it's time to build up those characters more. It's also...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday