'Dear White People' star Jeremy Tardy debunks Rashid's stereotyped labels and teases a 'competitive' love triangle in season 3
When Netflix's 'Dear White People' debuted with its first-ever season, the show's single African character — Rashid Bakr — met with a lot of criticism for being a stereotype as the token black guy from Kenya who was shocked at the animosity and racial tension prevalent in America. Played by Jeremy Tardy, the character had moved to the States for education and is one of the students at the prestigious Ivy League school, Winchester University, whose activism involves bringing to light the unfairness and injustices that black people are subjected to.
Luckily, season two corrected a lot of the wrongs from the debut season, and if Tardy is to be believed, season three is where Rashid's character gets established as an individual of his own, beyond the Kenan stereotype. Oh, and there's a major love triangle to watch out for too!
"I do think it's underestimated what culture shock is on people," Tardy remarks in an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), justifying Rashid's cluelessness about the existing racial tension between the white people and the African-American community in America.
"As someone who's traveled and who's been to various countries in the world, I think it's easy to assume that because we're exposed to different things from foreign countries via the media and social media too. We understand what's going on because American culture is really permeating the whole world. But it's an entirely different thing to see it on TV or read it and then to be here and experience it firsthand. That's really what it is for anyone who comes to America."
The journey of playing Rashid wasn't taken lightheartedly by Tardy, as the actor did his fair share of research and met people with firsthand experience of the culture shock that his character represents. Right before the filming for season three began, Tardy reminisces about his trip to Kenya and fully immerses in their culture to amp up the authenticity in playing the role, mentioning how the majority of the people are dark-skinned African.
But, the concept of racism isn't lost on them. "When you talk about racism to someone who grew up in a place where there are only Africans, the concept is not lost. Obviously, the ramifications of colonialism are still present in Kenya and in other African nations, but when you look at just the day-to-day life, someone who lives in Kenya is not going to have the experiences of racism on a daily basis that someone from an ethnic minority would have in America," Tardy explains.
Tardy tells MEAWW that he would also like fans to note that the experience of playing Rashid was both "a very challenging and a very fun" one to begin with. From diving into the socio-political culture of Kenya to get a grip on the mind frame of a person from there and adopting the culture and the accent to the point where strangers were actually convinced he is Kenyan, Tardy has indulged in his due bit of method for the role. "Being immersed in that land and culture and the world of Kenya — that, more than anything, is what prepared me for this new season," notes Tardy.
Speaking of the new season, Tardy believes "There has been a lot of growth not only from the characters that you see on the show but also from the people who are viewing the show and I hope that continues. This season (three) is definitely about growth. The tag for the season that's been promoted and marketed is 'growth by any means necessary' and I really do think that's a fantastic tag. I think that for all the characters, you're going to see growth in different ways. For Rashid, it really comes out of the interactions that he's having and the choices that he makes."
And one of those choices is a juicy love triangle that Rashid engages in. "There is a very clear love interest that is happening with Rashid and there's a choice that's made with that love interest and he has to grow from that," teases tardy about the character's arc this season. "You'll see that there's a bit of a competition that he's going to have in regards to that love interest with one of the other likable characters on the show," he teases further, carefully avoiding spoiling any names for us.
He also elaborates on the inspirations that help him approach a character like that, crediting his favorite comedian and a Spotify playlist that Tardy has made, listing all the songs that he things Rashid would like. "I can't tell you any specific piece of inspiration. It really was a cornucopia of different inspiring things to pull from, that would help me create this character and hopefully make him authentic," admits the actor.
As for the one thing that will definitely get viewers and loyal fans hooked to season three, Tardy notes that "People kind of gravitate towards one or two characters that may be similar to themselves. So based on the journeys and experiences that the viewer sees in this third season, I think they're going to come in contact with something that will stand out."
'Dear White People' season three premieres on Friday, August 2, only on Netflix.