When you star in a movie called “Dear White People,” haters are going to hate. Just ask Teyonah Parris, who’s seen her share of people flipping out about it.
“The title is very provocative,” Parris tells The Post, “but [the criticism has been] from people who haven’t seen the movie. So I don’t give it much energy.”
But Parris, who is also on TV’s “Mad Men,” gives plenty of energy playing the fiery Coco Conners in her new movie.
I think the movie [‘Dear White People’], more than being about race, is about identity.
- Teyonah Parris
The satire, in theaters Friday, explores what it’s like to be African-American at a mostly white university. Coco distances herself from the radical progressives on campus, wanting her race to be a non-factor — but not always going about it in the best way.
In one scene, white students throw an (absurdly offensive) African-American-themed party. Parris’ character participates, going the reverse route with a blond wig and makeup four shades too light. Filming it proved difficult for the actress.
“Seeing myself in that wig and in that makeup, it was emotional for me, because I know that there are women who, in order to feel beautiful, think that they have to do this,” she says. “I had to take a second. Because Coco wasn’t necessarily dealing with those same emotions at that moment we were shooting.”
The South Carolina-raised Parris, who now calls Los Angeles home, has faced racism in her life, though she’s coy about recent examples. She will, however, take a stance against one perpetual problem she’s encountered — even at the Sundance Film Festival, where the movie was an undeniable hit.
“I’ve never done this to anyone, so it really boggles my mind when it’s done to me, but they come up to pet or rub your hair,” she says. “It’s so offensive and belittling and demeaning because it feels like you’re petting me. I’m not a zoo animal.”
That faux pas is lampooned in “Dear White People,” as is just about every other predictable racial offense. But to Parris, the film isn’t about that.
“I think the movie, more than being about race, is about identity,” she explains. “These students are trying to figure out . . . how deal with identity. Do you assimilate? Do you just go against everything?”
Parris also stars in the new TV show “Survivor’s Remorse.” But she’s best known for her “Mad Men” role playing Dawn, Don Draper’s secretary turned office manager.
Filming for the show’s final season, which will air next year, has wrapped, but Parris made sure to take a few mementos from the set, including Dawn’s nameplate and desk photos of Parris’ actual grandparents that the production department reprinted in black-and-white.
“I cannot wait until this final season airs so I can stop having to remember what’s aired already and what hasn’t [when talking with people],” she says, chuckling. “It will be great.”
