B.B.F.s ("Best Black Friend) - White heroines turning more to black best friends in TV, film

Nia Long played the BBF to Sandra Bullock in “Premonition.”

“Julia Louis-Dreyfus has one. Sandra Bullock had one. So did Jennifer Garner and Katie Holmes. Jennifer Love Hewitt has had two. Calista Flockhart took hers dancing. Kate Walsh had one, lost her, and got another one with a different face but the same name. And Scarlett Johansson got her first one last weekend.

“They’re stars who have all played lead characters who experience adventure with the help of their BFF (best friend forever). But in many cases, these BFFs might more accurately be characterized as BBFs - black best friend - played by a black actress whose character’s principal function is to support the heroine, often with sass, attitude and a keen insight into relationships and life.

“”It’s a stereotype that’s been around for a long time,” said Stuart Fischoff, professor emeritus of media psychology at California State University Los Angeles. “It’s a way for bringing in a different culture, and the black friend can add ingredients that would not ordinarily be there. Blacks are seen as being more outspoken, so they can speak with greater authority and give more information.”