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Here's Why Diddy Is Calling 'Black Panther' A 'Cruel Experiment' In Hollywood

Does he have a point?

While Marvel's Black Panther stands as one of the most commercially successful films of all time, Sean "Diddy" Combs isn't fully convinced that the movie, which boasts a predominantly Black cast and a Black director, will serve as a catalyst for more opportunities for Black talent in Hollywood.

His doubts even led to him dub the groundbreaking film a "cruel experiment" as, in his opinion, given the advanced time we live in, "it's the first time that the film industry gave us a fair playing field on a worldwide blockbuster, and the hundreds of millions it takes to make it," he told Variety.

In fact, although Black Panther swept majorly at the box office, the judge of The Four holds the belief that it actually introduced more problems than solutions.

"For all the billions of dollars that these Black executives have been able to make them, [there's still hesitation] to put them in the top-level positions," he said. "They'll go and they'll recruit cats from overseas. It makes sense to give [executives of color] a chance and embrace the evolution, instead of it being that we can only make it to president, senior VP... There's no Black CEO of a major record company. That's just as bad as the fact that there are no [Black] majority owners in the NFL. That's what really motivates me."

In regards to Black Panther's overall commercial success, however, Diddy did stress that it didn't surprise him at all, as Black creatives often feel the need to "over-deliver" when provided with the resources and opportunities they're been asking for for some time.

"You can't do anything without that money, without resources," he said. "But when we do get the resources, we over-deliver... If you're blocked out of the resources, you can't compete. And that's my whole thing — to be able to come and compete."

Read his full Variety cover story, here.

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