The cast and director of the American Negro Magical Society say not to judge a movie by its trailer

The social media backlash wasn't the response writer-director Coby Libby and his crew expected when his debut film, “The American Negro Magical Society,” was announced. It dropped again in December. Perhaps false assumptions sum up some of the reactions better, as in the case of one viewer who said he was expecting a black adaptation of the “Harry Potter” series and was shocked.

Libby's film is instead a satire examining the trope of the “magical Negro,” a term Spike Lee is credited with coining decades ago to refer to Hollywood's tendency to spotlight black characters in supporting roles that cater to white main characters.

Until recently, satirical films about black people were relatively rare on Hollywood's biggest screens. With writer-director Cord Jefferson winning the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for American Fiction, that may change. In this regard, the American Society of Negro Magicians should be timely.

Actor Justice Smith (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Jurassic World Dominion) plays Aren, a young visual artist who shrinks in the presence of white people and is recruited into the American Society of Magical Negroes by Roger, who plays him. Written by David Alan Greer, to hone his ability to make white people comfortable in order to protect black people from being harmed.

“The happier they are, the safer we are,” Roger tells Arin.

However, Arin's mission to play friend to Jason, a young white tech professional, goes awry when he begins to feel self-worth and falls in love with Lizzie, who Jason also loves.

“This conversation about the expectation that black people prioritize white comfort over our history and our sense of self is an incredibly contemporary problem,” Libby told NBC News. “This is what's happening politically in America right now. You see these laws being passed in places like Florida around what's being taught in black history that literally says that elements of black history, things that actually happened in America, can't be said out loud in the classroom if It makes white kids uncomfortable.

Smith's personal connection to the film made him keen to play the role of Arin. “I grew up in a very white community. I love people, and that's a terrible recipe.” “I had to go on a journey of empowerment myself, similar to Arin, and I realized I could bring myself to the story.”

“In Living Color” legend Grier says Libii's mix of fantasy and comedy with a lot of heart attracted him to play Roger. Greer, a master of satire and an accomplished dramatic actor, sees Roger and Arin's perspectives through a generational lens.

For him, Roger very much represents “how we used to do it.” As a young man, Greer also experienced the growing pains of well-meaning older men trying to guide him with the playbook they used when they were younger.

“When I was a kid, all these old guys were telling me about 1920 and 1930, and I was like, 'Man, we're in 1963, bro, we're contemporary,'” he said. “So it's a generational thing,” Greer said.

While Greer said he saw the initial backlash on social media as a sign of the times, those who saw the film had a different idea.

“The reaction at Sundance was amazing,” he said. “I remember mostly women, Black women, coming up and telling me their story of how they endured microaggressions and why they chose not to stand up and the guilt they carried.”

Addressing every incident is impossible, Greer says. “You have to pick your battles,” he said. “If we responded to every microaggression, you wouldn't be able to make it to 12 noon.”

Nicole Byer, who plays Diddy, the president of the American Society of Magical Negroes, has encountered the magical Negro trope in her career. “I've gone to auditions where the nigger part was magical where he was just a friend. You don't have any backstory. It's like she's 32 and in love with her best friend.”

The title is what initially attracted Baer. “I like the title of the movie. I think it was very polarizing, and then I read the script, and I thought the script was absolutely brilliant. I love the big introduction and I love that it contains a romantic story.”

Baer also enjoys the film. “I'm flying in the movie,” she smiled over Zoom.

Given the opportunity, Libby is confident people will find value in his film. But he also understands the anxiety. “It's very understandable for black people to question what comes out of Hollywood,” he said. He continued, “I hope that people will watch the entire film, which is a more nuanced and comprehensive treatment of some of these issues, and then continue those conversations.”

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