Underdogs? Tika Sumpter says don’t rule us out

February 22, 2024

By Brier Evans, Staff Writer

Films can be seen as windows into our past, present, and future, and for a very long time, the scenes outside these windows appeared very white. To ensure that our futures and stories get represented, our presence within the film industry is a necessity.

It starts with positioning the people behind the stories to the companies who greenlight the pitches to the directors, writers, cast, and crew behind the making of our box-office hits. When we peek behind the scenes at the diversity of the production crews and when we look onscreen at the diversity of storytelling and the diversity of actors being spotlighted today, what do we see our future looking like?

During the last decade, and presently, we have seen a plethora of Black stories and Black women-led stories appear on several big screens, networks, and film festivals. Black women have been breaking glass ceilings in the industry with many producing and directing their own films and series such as Ava Duvernay, Shonda Rhimes, Regina King, Mara Brock Ali, and even more recently, Issa Rae and Quinta Brunson. Euphemia LatiQue “Tika” Sumpter is the latest addition to this list.

“My life should be called underdog,” Sumpter said at an exclusive “Underdoggs” virtual roundtable for student media reporters at Historically Black Universities and Colleges on Jan. 21. “Seeing no people around who actually made it, it is a miracle that I’m here,” Sumpter added.

From Hollis, Queens, N.Y., Sumpter began her career in the industry when she first landed her role in the daytime soap opera, “One Life To Live.” From there Sumpter has starred in several films and series including “Stomp the Yard: Homecoming,” “Ride Along,” “Ride Along 2,” “Southside with You,” “Mixed-ish,” and “Sonic the Hedgehog.”

“A lot of people wouldn’t see me for certain roles. They wouldn’t even give me the chance to show them what I have,” Sumpter said in response to advice to younger generations. “I have knocked on doors and been told no we’re looking for a more curly-haired person. You know all the things,” Sumpter added.

Sumpter made her directorial debut with her short film, “Night Off,” which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The film tells the story of a couple who try to enjoy their first date night away from their baby as newly established parents and end up having too much fun.

“Directors set the tone … If they’re an actor who wants to direct, I always feel like they’re the best storytellers,” Sumpter said in the roundtable.

Fresh off her directorial debut, Sumpter stars in a new comedy movie released on Jan. 26 on Amazon Prime, “The Underdoggs.” The film, directed by Charles Stone III, follows former NFL star, Jaycen “Two Js” Jennings (Snoop Dogg), who is sentenced to court-mandated community service to mentor a youth football team as an alternative to going to prison and to fix his public image. Sumpter plays the role of Cherise in the film, Jennings’ first love.

“Here’s the great thing about underdogs: when people think you can’t do something and then you overserve and overdo it, then they’re like ‘oh we always believed in them,’” Sumpter said.

The future of films is always a topic that raises eyebrows, especially when looking at the type of stories and faces that often get represented. Fortunately, more and more Black stories are getting spotlighted, and the Black community is doing its part in ensuring that our past, present, and future stories get told.

When producers do not predict that Black stories are viable in major markets, it is through our presence within these rooms that these ‘no’s become ‘yes’s.

With the steady increase of Black men and Black women who are involved in all stages of the writing and production processes, who are in the rooms to greenlight our ideas, and who are in the rooms to invest in our stories, it is only then that our futures are represented and celebrated.

“It’s like when someone gets an award at an award show, and everyone is clapping and saying yes? Well, 99 percent of those people in the room said no,” Sumpter said.

Check out “The UnderDoggs” starring Snoop Dogg, Mike Epps, and Tika Sumpter on Amazon Prime Video.