Chris Rock says ‘Misty Green’ challenges Hollywood’s ‘positive’ roles for Black women

Chris Rock arrives on the red carpet to promote the film "Misty Green" at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto, on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO — Chris Rock says his new film “Misty Green” is partly about pushing back against Hollywood’s tendency to portray Black women as relentlessly positive characters.

The comedian, who wrote, directed and stars in the film, said he wanted its central character, played by Rosalind Eleazar, to be complicated and messy.

Speaking on stage Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival’s “In Conversation With...” series, Rock said he would like to see more compelling roles offered to Black women.

He pointed to his friend, the actress Tracie Thoms, who was in the audience.

“She works all the time,” Rock said of Thoms, who plays a casting director in “Misty Green.” “You know, I want her to do everything she wants to do, but she’s always like, the judge. Or like somebody ridiculously positive. Right?

So it’s like, we overcompensate."

On the red carpet at the film’s premiere the night before, Thoms said it was “fun to go to work every day,” with Rock at the helm.

“Chris really fosters and environment of discovery and play,” she said.

For the creator of “Everybody Hates Chris,’’ allowing a Black woman to make bad decisions was part of what made the “Misty Green” story interesting.

The film, about a down-on-her-luck actress trying to make a Hollywood comeback, is Rock’s most dramatic project yet

He describes Misty as someone who is “really bad at blackjack,” including taking another card when she already has 19 — and then trying to figure out how to stay in the casino.

He said stepping back from the lead role to let a woman carry the story was not necessarily a grand statement but simply reflected the kinds of characters he finds compelling.

“I just think the movie’s more interesting with a woman,” he said, adding that he finds stories about complicated women more compelling than those built around men.

The “Madagascar’’ star also used the discussion to reflect on Hollywood’s historical treatment of actors, saying he recalls a time when studio budgets included separate pay scales based on race and gender.

“The lowest one was Black women,” he said.

Rock says that kind of racial and gender breakdown still happens in Hollywood but has become more covert.

“Misty Green” also turns its attention to Hollywood and a broader American obsession with fame, image and money.

Rock said people have become increasingly concerned with how things look rather than what is actually happening, describing it as a culture of worrying about “angles.”

“‘How do I look’ is more important than ‘what is going on?’” he said.

He also took aim at the pursuit of “the bag,” saying money and fame have increasingly become measures of intelligence, talent and worth.

“Misty Green” screens Sept. 13 and Sept. 18 at TIFF, and opens in theatres Oct. 9.

-With files from Fatima Raza

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2026.

Sandra Ezekwesili, The Canadian Press