20 Black Movie Characters Hollywood Should Learn From

16. Albert Lewis (What Dreams May Come)

Double Deck

Albert Lewis is the mentor to Robin Williams€™s Chris Nielsen, both in life as a practitioner of medicine and in death as an orientation counselor.

Albert is written as a black character, but what are most important in What Dreams May Come are his ultimately transcendent emotional roles in Chris€™s life, which in turn strikingly illuminate the human experience and spirit. His arc really sneaks up on you and does a great amount for the movie€™s purpose. He goes on almost as much of a journey as Chris does, and race factors into his story, but at the end of the day he€™s a person, and when Max von Sydow eventually takes over the role, it is handled so seamlessly that it doesn€™t seem as if much as changed, even though it€™s two different actors of two different races. It only helps to bring the point home (and the point isn€™t about race).

Hollywood can really get some hard-hitting characters from this concept.
Contributor
Contributor

Ian Boucher is many things when he is not writing for WhatCulture.com -- explorer, friend of nature, and librarian. He enjoys stories of many kinds and is fascinated with what different mediums can bring to them. He has developed particular affections for movies and comic books, especially the ones that need more attention, taking them absolutely seriously with a sense of humor. He constantly strives to build his understanding of the relationships between world cultures, messages, and audiences.