These stereotypes are arguably as positive as it gets for Black characters in Hollywood.

While the Black best friend isn’t a maid or nanny, they mostly function to help their White friend, normally the protagonist of the show, transcend difficult circumstances. The number of television programs and films featuring Black women as selfless maids perpetuates this stereotype. The mammy and Black best friend stereotypes are similar to the “Magical Negro.” Mammies traditionally took care of White families, valuing the lives of their White employers (or owners during enslavement) more than their own.

Instead, these characters function to help White characters overcome adversity. When Black people are portrayed as good on the silver screen, it’s usually as a “Magical Negro” type like Michael Clarke Duncan’s character in “The Green Mile.” Such characters are typically wise Black men with no concerns of their own or desire to improve their status in life. Black people face both positive and negative stereotypes in Hollywood.

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