John Amos Says Many ‘Roots’ Actors Didn’t See More Job Offers Despite Show’s Success

Roots actors Louis Gossett Jr. and John Amos have looked back on the groundbreaking series on its 45th anniversary and commented that many cast members did not see a career boost despite the show’s success.

Adapted from Alex Haley’s bestselling novel, Roots debuted on ABC in January 1977 and followed Kunta Kinte (Amos), an African man who is taken from his home and shipped to North America as a slave. The series was a hit, amassing huge ratings and taking home nine Emmy awards, as well as a Golden Globe and Peabody Award.

While Gossett Jr went on to win a Best Supporting Oscar for his role in the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, Amos says that many of the other Black actors did not see the same profile raise as Gossett or fellow co-star LeVar Burton, who played the young Kinte. Burton would go on to find success in Star Trek: The Next Generation and as the host of Reading Rainbow.

Speaking to The Wrap, Amos said, “The truth is, we did not receive the commensurate job offers. The inequities that existed in the industry as regards to race still existed, even after Roots, because few, if any of us – with the exception of stellar talents like Mr. Gossett and LeVar – were able to capitalize on the success of Roots.”

He continued: “But most of us in the cast, supporting and even starring actors, did not enjoy the same accolades and acclaim as our white counterparts.”

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Amos, who first worked together with Gossett on the 1970s sitcom Good Times, added that he was “grateful” for Roots. “I realized Roots was going to change the game in terms of the education of the viewing audience, and it was going to change the game in terms of opportunities,” he said. “But not so dramatically that we could say, ‘Well now the struggle is over.’ It continues to this day.”

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