“A Great Day in Hollywood”: Who’s who of Netflix’s ‘Strong Black Lead’ commercial

Last night, Netflix released a powerful and stirring commercial highlighting some of the incredibly talented black creatives working both in front of and behind the camera on many of the streaming giant’s originals. Titled “A Great Day in Hollywood”, the Lacey Duke directed segment assembles an impressive 47 Netflix Originals stars together to recreate Art Kane’s iconic photograph “A Great Day in Harlem”. The photo originally appeared in the January 1958 issue of Esquire and celebrated prominent jazz musicians of the time.

Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin narrates the spot and delivers a powerful message as he stands in the center of the 47-strong crowd. “We’re not a genre because there’s no one way to be black. We’re writing while black. Nuanced and complex; resilient and strong. This is not a moment. This is a movement. We are strong black leads. Today is a great day in Hollywood.” The commercial remains a touchstone for how streaming platforms can frame representation as collective rather than isolated.

The 1958 'A Great Day in Harlem' Photo Context

Art Kane’s original photograph captured 57 jazz musicians on a stoop in Harlem, a rare gathering that ran in the January 1958 issue of Esquire. The image quickly became shorthand for artistic community at a moment when Black musicians rarely received mainstream visual celebration. Netflix’s recreation honored that lineage by swapping instruments for scripts, cameras, and the shared language of television.

Emmy Recognition for the Commercial

The spot earned a nomination for Outstanding Commercial of the Year, a rare nod for branded content that signaled both technical craft and cultural weight. Lacey Duke’s direction, the precise blocking of 47 performers, and Caleb McLaughlin’s measured narration all contributed to the recognition. The nomination placed the campaign alongside major network and agency work rather than treating it as a side project.

Ava DuVernay

The first face shown in the commercial is that of visionary director DuVernay who directed the Oscar nominated Netflix Originals documentary 13th. She later helmed the limited series When They See Us in 2019 and released the theatrical feature Origin in 2023, expanding her focus from documentary to narrative work that continues to center systemic questions.

Spike Lee

Shown hanging out on a stoop, the legendary director – and producer of the Netflix Originals show She’s Gotta Have It – is wearing his trademark spectacles along with a “Defend Brooklyn” patch on the arm of his denim jacket. He later directed Da 5 Bloods for Netflix in 2020 and contributed an episode to the 2025 documentary series Katrina: Come Hell and High Water.

Lena Waithe

The multitalented writer, producer, director, and actor rose to stardom as Denise in Aziz Ansari’s Master of None on Netflix. Since then she’s also appeared in S2 of Dear White People as P. Ninny and enjoyed a supporting role in Steven Spielberg’s recent blockbuster Ready Player One. She created the ongoing series The Chi and founded the production company Hillman Grad, building infrastructure for additional Black-led projects across platforms.

Laverne Cox

Having rose to prominence as transgender inmate Sophia Burset in Orange Is the New Black, Cox has continued to star in a variety of TV shows and movies including Doubt, The Mindy Project, and Trudie Styler’s Freakshow and continues to do great work as an LGBTQI and black rights activist. In 2026 she released the memoir Transcendent and co-created the Prime Video series Clean Slate.

Mike Colter

The charismatic actor portrays bulletproof Harlem hero Luke Cage in Cheo Hodari Coker’s Marvel Netflix series and was recently seen reprising his mysterious The Good Wife character Lemond Bishop in an episode of The Good Fight. Luke Cage concluded after two seasons, after which Colter moved into additional film and television roles that kept his profile active outside the Marvel corner of Netflix.

Caleb McLaughlin

The Stranger Things star is given the stupendous honor of narrating the entire commercial, perhaps highlighting how important the voices of young black people are in society. He later appeared in the 2024 Netflix film The Deliverance and voices the lead character in the animated feature GOAT slated for 2026.

Strong Black Lead Campaign Legacy

The 2018 commercial seeded an ongoing Netflix initiative that remains active in 2026 through social campaigns, casting calls, and editorial programming. The effort earned a Webby award and continues to surface Black talent both on screen and in production roles. Its persistence shows how a single spot can evolve into sustained infrastructure rather than a one-time statement.

Justin Simien

The Dear White People showrunner can be seen just behind Browning at the back of the group. Simien recently announced he’s still developing a satirical horror film by the name of Bad Hair that aims to examine the way in which black women are treated in society. Bad Hair ultimately premiered on Hulu in 2020, allowing Simien to move into additional directing and writing projects that examine similar cultural fault lines.

Logan Browning

Browning depicts outspoken activist Samantha White in the Netflix Originals series based on Justin Simien’s hit indie movie. The series concluded after four seasons, after which Browning continued to take on roles across television and film that built on the visibility the show provided.

DeRon Horton

A little in front of Colter in the group is the Dear White People actor who depicts beloved gay student Lionel Higgins in the Netflix Originals show. His performance helped anchor one of the series’ most consistent storylines across its run.

Marque Richardson

Next to Simien in the back row is Richardson, who depicts “black Bill Gates in the making” Reggie Green from Dear White People. The character’s arc tracked the tension between ambition and identity that defined much of the show’s appeal.

Alfre Woodard

The legendary actor and political activist is currently playing complex antihero Mariah Dillard in Luke Cage. Her performance added layers of moral ambiguity to the series and reinforced her decades-long reputation for choosing roles that resist easy categorization.

Britney Young

One of GLOW’s most underrated stars Young depicts wrestling expert Carmen “Machu Picchu” Wade in Jenji Cohen’s tough yet emotional feminist comedy. The series gave her space to showcase both physical comedy and dramatic range within an ensemble built around women’s wrestling in the 1980s.

Danielle Brooks

You likely know Brooks best for her performance as Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson in Orange is the New Black – a character who represents the heart of Litchfield Penitentiary. The actor has also starred in shows like Girls and Master of None since 2012. Brooks continues to balance stage work with screen roles that keep her profile visible across mediums.

Hayley Law

If you’re an avid Riverdale fan, you’ll almost certainly know Law as Valerie Brown – one third of the woefully underused teen group Josie and the Pussycats. However, she more recently enjoyed a pivotal role opposite Joel Kinnaman (Suicide Squad) as Lizzie Elliot in the Netflix Originals adaptation of trippy sci-fi drama Altered Carbon. Law has since moved between music and acting projects that leverage her dual skill set.

Kia Stevens

Stevens is a wrestling veteran having been involved with a number of shows including WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown, and TNA Impact! Wrestling, making her a completely perfect choice as Tammé “Welfare Queen” Dawson in GLOW. Her real-world experience gave the character an authenticity that resonated with both wrestling fans and the series’ broader audience.

Sydelle Noel

The actor portrays headstrong star Cherry Bang on GLOW, but you might also recognize her as Samanda Watson in Arrow and for her performance as Dora Milaje in Black Panther. Noel’s film and television credits span superhero franchises and independent projects, showing consistent range.

Marlon Wayans

We almost didn’t recognize him behind those shades and that magnificently gregarious blazer, but you can find Wayans in the back right of the group. His Netflix comedy special Marlon Wayans: Woke-ish is currently available to stream. Wayans continues to tour and release stand-up work that keeps his voice present in both comedy clubs and streaming catalogs.

Nia Long

The iconic character actor is perhaps best recognized for having portrayed Brandi in Boyz in the Hood and Will’s only real long-term girlfriend Lisa Wilkes in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Long has enjoyed a varied and eclectic career and recently starred in Netflix Originals like Roxanne Roxanne and Dear White People. Her steady presence across decades of film and television underscores the commercial’s larger point about sustained Black excellence rather than fleeting visibility.

Diversity in Streaming Post-2018

Since the campaign launched, Netflix and other platforms have expanded their investment in Black-led series and films, with Strong Black Lead cited as an early driver of that shift. The commercial’s emphasis on multiplicity rather than a single archetype helped normalize the idea that Black stories could occupy multiple genres without being reduced to one. That framing continues to influence casting conversations and programming decisions across the industry.