Longtime actor Harry Lennix sat down with EBONY to discuss the landscape of Black representation in Hollywood. While there have always been talented Black entertainers within the industry, The Blacklist actor feels they are more often subjected to negative or “subservient” roles.

“Black people have always been represented in the media,” he said. “It’s just what is represented when you see them that has not improved, in fact, I think it’s deteriorating.”

Lennix acknowledged that some shows including Black-ish and Greenleaf have gone against the slave or street life narrative. But as the CEO and president of the production company, Exponent Media Group, he hopes to change how people of color are depicted on television and film in a broader scale.