In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, "Being Mary Jane" director Rob Hardy addressed his choice to discuss racism on the show.

EW notes that in a recent episode of "Being Mary Jane," Gabrielle Union, who plays the title character, is called a "black b*tch" and described as an un "ugly black monkey."

Hardy opened up about the controversial scene and revealed he encouraged Union to be honest with her emotions during filming.

"For starters, I made sure to talk to Gabrielle about that scene and its tone; I need her to be real and raw in her emotions so it would feel like real life," Hardy explained.

He continued, "And then for that guy in the scene, it was about being entitled, as opposed to being nervous about the words or how anyone would view him. His is a 'You should bow down to me' perspective. Those are the emotions we used to get to that moment."

When asked to address his opinion on the significance of the show, Hardy responded, "One of the things I like about the show is that it deals with things that are really everyday occurrences; you know, things that a lot of people experience."

The Huffington Post reports that this week's episode of "Being Mary Jane" garnered critical acclaim from viewers for the scene where Mary Jane invites real-life black activists and noted public figures on her show, "Talk Black."

The guest panel featured Michaela Angela Davis, India Arie and Mark Anthony Neal.

They ended up talking about black beauty, and Neal said that it's important for black men to support black women to help bring about more acceptance. He added that not speaking up makes them "complicit in these attacks."

Following the episode, "Being Mary Jane" actors tweeted their appreciation for the show's honesty in addressing real-life racial topics.

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