Tony-nominated actor Sheryl Lee Ralph has revealed she was once fired from a television pilot for "not being Black enough."
65 year-old television and Broadway actor Sheryl Lee Ralph revealed she was a victim of racist casting back in the 1980s.
Ralph, famous for her breakthrough role in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls as well as her roles in Moesha and more recently the successful sitcom Abbott Elementary, told People magazine she was once fired by a producer for not being "Black enough."
She said:
"People's thinking was not very inclusive. You [had] directors who were still trying to tell you how to be Black."
"I was fired from a pilot because the producer told me I was 'not Black enough.'"
"Those were his words. It was horrible. I can still remember the way I felt."
Unfortunately, this isn't the only instance of racism Ralph has endured.
Last month, Ralph told The View she was once questioned about her ability to land a leading role in a romance due to her race.
She said:
"[I] had a memorable audition with a big casting director who looked at me and said, 'Everybody knows you're a beautiful, talented, Black girl. But what do I do with a beautiful, talented, Black girl? Do I put you in a movie with Tom Cruise? Do you kiss? Who goes to see that movie?'"
Ralph was then asked to reveal the name of the director who said this to her, but Ralph refused.
She said:
"Why bother? Look at me now."
"But I left that audition with some of the best ammunition. Everybody knew I was a beautiful, talented, Black girl and I should be in the movies with the likes of a 'Tom Cruise', and he should kiss me."
Twitter users are heartbroken over the overt racism Ralph and other Black actors face in Hollywood.
Behold Sheryl Lee Ralph\u2019s power, that these things were said to her and a trail of bodies weren\u2019t left in her wake. Sincerely, a latin actor who has been given notes his entire career by white people on not being \u201cauthentically latin enough\u201d:https://ew.com/tv/sheryl-lee-ralph-once-fired-for-not-being-black-enough/\u00a0\u2026— Mois\u00e9s Chiull\u00e1n \u8096\u632f\u85e9 (@Mois\u00e9s Chiull\u00e1n \u8096\u632f\u85e9) 1649306216
How many of y'all got the ole, "You're not really black for wht_ppl? I can't count the times. Still happens. \nMy family has been in La. for atleast 6 generations.\n\nSheryl Lee Ralph says TV producer fired her for not being 'Black enough'https://ew.com/tv/sheryl-lee-ralph-once-fired-for-not-being-black-enough/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-share-article\u00a0\u2026— Go to school board meetings & tell Q-Nuts to STFU (@Go to school board meetings & tell Q-Nuts to STFU) 1649281116
Why do people say this? I mean, do you want us to be blacker than charcoal, sag our jeans and talk in slangs before we are accepted as \u201cblack enough?\u201d Smh— Esmeralda Ekeng (@Esmeralda Ekeng) 1649300290
Let be guess a White Studio Executive felt that way ?— IG:Kali Kal \u2122 (BlackLivesMatters)\u2122 (@IG:Kali Kal \u2122 (BlackLivesMatters)\u2122) 1649250754
How do you even say Sheryl Lee Ralph isn\u2019t black enough?— Baetropolis\uf8ff (@Baetropolis\uf8ff) 1649347021
????!!!!???https://twitter.com/THR/status/1511749167986659329\u00a0\u2026— The Heehee Ni**a Screaming (@The Heehee Ni**a Screaming) 1649264293
@thesherylralph has always been a beautiful black woman for many years. Producers aren't looking at the real person when they talk to her.— Macgyver P (@Macgyver P) 1649316099
#UnFknBelievablehttps://ew.com/tv/sheryl-lee-ralph-once-fired-for-not-being-black-enough/\u00a0\u2026— Sharon's Once Upon a Midnight Blue (@Sharon's Once Upon a Midnight Blue) 1649277950
"What do I do with a beautiful talented black girl?" Thank you @thesherylralph for showing us that beautiful talented black girls can do ANYTHING & EVERYTHING! I know that casting director sees it now too. Watch Sheryl Lee Ralph On The View https://youtu.be/LVSKKuUAsrs\u00a0\n@SenatorHughes— Priscilla Mpasi, MD, FAAP (@Priscilla Mpasi, MD, FAAP) 1646509551
What define being 'Black Enough'?\nWho wrote the book on what defines (being) our (my) Blackness?\n\n#BlackLivesMatter https://twitter.com/sanacardi/status/1511802607194365958\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/76BuzK2ub6— LaSanya Rucker (@LaSanya Rucker) 1649277091
Ralph said she has tried to remain positive over the course of her 45 year career despite instances of racism she faced in Hollywood.
She said:
"It's all about the lens that you see through."
