Thomas starred as a white student who pretends to be black to receive a scholarship in Soul Man (1986). The film was commercially successful but was condemned by the NAACP, other African-American advocacy groups, and director Spike Lee.
It received mostly negative reviews from professional critics and holds an aggregated score of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes. Thomas has since stated that he does not regret the role, and that Soul Man was “an important part of life” and “an important film” for racial relations in the United States.
