If you’ve spent any time scrolling through Netflix’s back catalog, you’ve probably bumped into the Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick collaboration. It’s a loud, stylish, and often polarizing look at an athlete's origin story. But while most of the digital ink has been spilled over Kaepernick’s narration or the show's heavy-handed metaphors, there’s a specific figure who grounds the high school drama: Jake Colin in Black and White.
Well, okay—to be precise, the character is just "Jake." He’s played by Mace Coronel. But for anyone following the series, he’s the "Jake" that defines the social world of a young Colin Kaepernick. Honestly, he’s more than just a sidekick. He represents the "good friend" who nonetheless occupies a completely different reality than the protagonist.
Who Is the Actor Behind Jake?
Mace Coronel isn’t exactly a newcomer. If you had a childhood (or have kids), you might recognize him from Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn. He was Dicky. Going from a high-energy Nickelodeon multi-cam to a gritty, experimental Netflix limited series is a massive jump. He pulls it off.
In the show, Jake is one of Colin's closest buddies. They’re athletes. They’re popular. On the surface, they’re basically the same. But the "Black and White" title of the show isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about the massive chasm in how the world treats two kids who are ostensibly in the same social circle.
Jake is the white friend who doesn't have to think about his hair. He doesn't have to think about how he talks to coaches. He’s the baseline. Coronel plays him with a sort of easy-going obliviousness that feels painfully real if you’ve ever lived in a small, predominantly white town.
The Dynamics of "Jake Colin in Black and White"
The friendship between Colin and Jake serves as a narrative mirror. Think about the scene with the cornrows. Or the scenes where they’re navigating the pressure of being recruited.
- The Privilege Gap: Jake gets to just be a "kid" or an "athlete."
- The Comparison: When Colin struggles with his identity or encounters microaggressions, Jake is often right there, but he’s essentially invisible to the problem.
- The Narrative Function: Jake exists to show the audience what "normal" looks like for a white teenager in Turlock, California, which highlights how "not normal" the world makes things for Colin.
It’s a bit of a tricky role. If the actor plays him too mean, it becomes a story about a bully. If he’s too saintly, it feels fake. Coronel hits that middle ground—the friend who likes you, but who also fundamentally doesn't "get it" because he doesn't have to.
Why Users Keep Searching for Him
People often search for Jake Colin in Black and White because they’re trying to track down the actor's evolution. Mace Coronel has a huge following from his Nick days, and seeing him in a "serious" project directed by someone like Ava DuVernay is a trip.
There’s also the confusion about the name. Since the show is titled Colin in Black and White, and the character’s name is Jake, people often mash them together in search bars. It happens.
What the Critics Missed About Jake
Most reviews of the series focused on the "Bold" and "Experimental" nature of the storytelling. They talked about the "gray room" where the adult Kaepernick narrates.
But the heart of the show is the high school stuff. That’s where the human stakes are. When Jake and Colin are just hanging out, the show feels the most authentic. It’s in those quiet moments—the locker room talk, the car rides—where the subtle differences in their lives start to leak through.
Jake isn't a villain. That's the point. The series argues that you don't need a cartoonish villain to experience systemic friction. You just need a world that was built for Jake and not for Colin.
Making Sense of the Performance
If you're watching for Mace Coronel, you'll notice he's matured quite a bit since his Nickelodeon days. His performance is understated. He has to play a character who is essentially a "golden boy," and that requires a certain level of charisma that doesn't overshadow the lead, Jaden Michael.
It's a supporting role in the truest sense. He supports the themes by being the contrast.
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- Watch the body language: Jake moves through space with a confidence that Colin has to constantly negotiate.
- Listen to the dialogue: Jake’s concerns are almost always about the game or girls, while Colin’s world is increasingly complicated by race and perception.
Actionable Insights for Viewers
If you’re diving into the series or just finished it, keep these things in mind:
- Look for the Parallels: Compare how coaches talk to Jake versus how they talk to Colin. It's subtle, but it's there.
- Follow the Career: Keep an eye on Mace Coronel. His transition into dramatic acting via this series was a smart move that distanced him from the "child star" label.
- Context Matters: Remember that this is a dramatized memoir. The character of Jake represents a composite of the types of friendships Kaepernick had during his formative years.
The show might be about a superstar athlete, but the characters like Jake are what make the setting feel lived-in. He’s the "everyman" in a story where the protagonist is anything but.
Next time you’re rewatching, pay attention to the scenes where they’re just being kids. It tells you more about the show’s message than any of the narrated segments ever could.