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Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Entertainment
Christina Izzo

Tracee Ellis Ross Reveals How Mom Diana Ross Was Her Rock When Navigating A Tough Situation About Defining 'Blackness' Onscreen

Singer Diana Ross and actress Tracee Ellis Ross pose in the press room at the 2017 American Music Awards.

If there's anyone you should want showbiz advice from, it's Diana Ross, legendary star of stage and screen. And that's especially true if Miss Ross is your own mother.  Diana's daughter Tracee Ellis Ross is, of course, a star in her own right, thanks to TV sitcoms like Black-ish and Girlfriends, as well as recent films like Candy Cane Lane opposite Eddie Murphy and American Fiction opposite Jeffrey Wright. 

The latter movie centers on a novelist who is frustrated with the way the establishment profits from Black entertainment riddled with offensive and outlandish stereotypes. It was during the American Fiction promo tour that the actress revealed how her world-famous mom helped her navigate colorism and "how Blackness was being defined" both onscreen and off. During an interview with The Wrap, Ellis Ross opened up about seeking her mother's help during a particularly challenging moment while on the set of Girlfriends: 

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