Jesse Williams says activism cost him acting jobs and Harry Belafonte helped him through the backlash

The “Grey’s Anatomy” actor says Belafonte reached out after his 2016 BET Awards speech and helped him navigate a turbulent period.

Jesse Williams says his activism cost him acting jobs and brought threats against his family, but Harry Belafonte helped him through the backlash. The “Grey’s Anatomy” actor delivered a widely discussed BET Awards speech in 2016 after speaking out on racial injustice. Their relationship is revisited in the documentary “Following Harry.”

In the film, Williams recalls that Belafonte left him a message after his BET Humanitarian Award speech, anticipating a backlash that Williams had not considered. The actor said he subsequently received specific threats against himself and his family, People reported. He also recalled being told he had secured movie roles before a senior executive objected to his politics. He did not identify the studios involved.

Weeks after the awards ceremony, Williams visited Belafonte at home. He said the encounter “made me feel held” at a turbulent point in his life and influenced the work he pursued afterward.

Belafonte, who died in 2023 at age 96, spent decades combining entertainment with civil rights organizing. He worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and other movement leaders. In the documentary, Belafonte discusses the courage required when performers risk their careers by speaking publicly against racism and inequality.

The two men had appeared alongside Zendaya on Ebony magazine’s December 2015/January 2016 anniversary cover. Williams says in the film that he was initially reluctant to participate because all three were light-skinned. He wanted the image to represent a wider range of skin tones, reflecting the diversity of people doing grassroots work.

Directed by Susanne Rostock, “Following Harry” chronicles the last 12 years of Belafonte’s life as he mentored younger artists and activists. The documentary includes material about activism following Trayvon Martin’s killing and the protests in Ferguson, Missouri.

Angela Davis, Carmen Perez and Jamie Foxx are among those featured. The film became available on video-on-demand services, including Apple TV and Amazon, on Oct. 13. Jesse Williams said Belafonte’s support helped shape his subsequent work.