Sterling K. Brown Explains Why His On-Screen Romances Are Never Random

Sterling K. Brown is underscoring the power of on-screen representation for Black women.

In a recent interview with Refinery29, the Emmy-winning actor stated that he intentionally prioritizes Black women as the love interests of his characters and explained why this choice matters to him.

Across more than 70 TV and film credits, Brown has frequently been paired with Black women—from Susan Kelechi Watson on This Is Us to Teri Rogers-Collins in Paradise. Asked if those decisions are made “consciously,” he confirmed they are.

“I’m aware of the sort of Eurocentric standards of beauty that tend to predominate media,” he said. “Light-skin oftentimes is seen as more beautiful than dark-skin, etc. and Brown wants to be someone that sort of shows all of the beauty that is Blackness, right?”

The Black Panther actor added that the choice is about visibility as much as it is about preference. “Brown don’t discriminate, to be perfectly honest with you,” he continued. “I understand the power of representation and how often Black women seem to feel unseen by Black men, in particular. And there’s so many sisters that are waiting for brothers to be like, ‘Hey, man, I’m here for you and whatnot.’ And brothers sometimes don’t tend to see them.”

Brown, whose real-life wife is actress Ryan Michelle Bathe, said he aims to reflect that appreciation on screen. “I want them to know that SKB sees them,” he explained, “and hopefully in the people that he chooses to be paired with onscreen or whatnot, there’s an appreciation for them and that they know that they are as beautiful as I know they are.”

The remarks drew swift praise online. Reactions included: “Well, ok, Sterling flips hair over shoulder.” Another commenter wrote, “Yes, thank you! good for him. Way too often, it’s a light-skinned, if not white, love interest in TV and movies.”