Tracee Ellis Ross says she didn’t want her Black-ish character doing ‘lady chores’ on screen

‘Those things make a huge difference in the way a character comes off the screen,’ said the actor

Tracee Ellis Ross accepts the award for Best Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy for her role in 'Black-ish' during the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 8, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty)

Tracee Ellis Ross has revealed that she did not want her character to be seen doing “lady chores” on her hit sitcom Black-ish.

Speaking on the LA Times podcast Can’t Stop Watching on Tuesday (18 August), the actor said she didn’t want to be seen carrying laundry or cooking in the background of scenes, and would ask “Why am I doing the lady chores? Can’t [co-star Anthony Anderson] do the lady chores?”

She explained, “I’m not here to service my husband’s jokes, or my husband’s life, or my husband’s choices. I have my own choices, I have my own point of view. All of those things, which seem small, they make a huge difference in the way a character comes off the screen.”

Throughout the show’s six seasons, Ross ensured that whenever her character was seen completing domestic chores they were done to “match the experience of the scene”.

The 47-year-old clarified, “I don’t believe they’re ‘lady chores’. I think they’re house chores. And I don’t believe that we should assume, because I believe every relationship is a negotiation between two people about what each of them feel comfortable doing.

“I think the more that we portray that on television, the more that becomes the reality out in the world, or matches the reality that the world actually is.”

Ross won a Golden Globe award in 2017 for her performance in the acclaimed comedy series. She plays Rainbow “Bow” Johnson, a mother and doctor married to Dre Johnson, played by Anderson.

The actor was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. This latest nod marks the fourth consecutive year that Ross has been nominated for her performance in Black-ish. None, however, have yet translated into wins.

The show, created by Kenya Barris, has been praised for its nuanced portrayal of black family life in the US.