Actor Winston Duke is learning day by day to be unfazed by his stature and the perceived presence he carries when in mainly white spaces. During a recent appearance on Jemele Hill’s “Unbothered” podcast, the 6’5 tall Tobagonian actor talked about that journey and why he always needed to be aware of his existence as a Black man.
When asked by Hill, “How do you learn to be unbothered?” he admitted, “It’s been coming to me in phases.” He added, “So being six foot almost six foot six right now, about 295 pounds, I’ve always been a big–I was the big kid that turned into the big man, right? And not always in spaces of safety, you know? And there was always feelings of that I’m potentially the aggressor, that I’m potentially the one, you know, that is a threat in some way,” he explained.
“That’s some of the most of the, like, toxic energy and then other energy, even by other, you know, people of color was that, you know, maybe your competition in some ways,” added the actor known for his role as M’Baku on “Black Panther.”
The comment prompted a memory for Hill, who recalled when the two were “standing what I thought to be a normal distance from one another,” but the actor, who also starred in “Us” felt he was hovering. When asked if it got “a little exhausting,” he noted, “I think being black in spaces and it’s not. It translates to even when I spoke to you. But being black in a lot of predominantly white spaces, my whole life, and the whole life of a lot of my friends’ family.”
He added, “People, I know, you end up with a lot of what I call spatial fatigue where you don’t even understand or all the time realize how much work you’re constantly doing, you know, and that is what adds up.” He continued, “And that’s what I think adds to anxiety. It’s what adds to some mental health needs, things like that. So I think I’m very aware of it. And I’ve always had to be aware of it. I always had to be aware of it for my own safety.”
It wasn’t the first time the actor has opened up about his physical insecurities. In a 2018 interview, the rising star credited Black women for making him feel comfortable in his skin. “At the end of the day, it’s been women from all over the world and all different cultures, but it was really started and driven by Black women and I wanna thank them for that.”
He added, “I have not always been in a position to think that the things that made me who I am have always been positive. My height and my size have also made me look like an aggressor without trying. And to now be in a space where they’re saying that’s what makes me beautiful and that’s what makes me disarming, that’s really humbling and it feels really good.”
