It’s always shocking to hear stories about what our beloved favorite black actors were like and yet are treated when it comes to movie sets. Some have struggled with proper lighting for deeper tones, while others have been wrong about hair and makeup. I’ve put together a list of my favorite actors who have figured out the not-so-old tactics of Hollywood, showing you what’s good.
1.
You may recognize Yvette Nicole Brown from Nickelodeon’s OG show, Drake and Joshlike Helen, or in Community as Shirley Bennett. The actor opened up on 2019 on Twitter about how most black actors have to bring “wigs and accessories” and their own shade of foundation.
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When #ActingWhileBlack was trending on Twitter, Yvette Nicole Brown chimed in to share her experience acting like a black woman, saying:
Most black actresses come to a new set with their hair done (me) or bring their wigs & clips with them. It’s either that or risk looking crazy on screen. Many of us also bring our own foundation. Too many times by not seeing a matching shade, you will learn! https://t.co/mGAzpuoKtb
two.
malcolm barrett was another celebrity who tweeted about #ActingWhileBlack. She shed light on the black hairstylist situation that had balanced Hollywood, saying many black actors would get their hair done before a movie or TV show because the hairstylists who fit in with “everyone” never included black people.
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The tweeted“Most black actors cut or style their hair off set, often at their own expense because Hollywood stylists are one size fits all and that ‘all’ doesn’t include black hair. This has been my experience over the years. last 20 years in business and it hasn’t changed at all.
3.
Gabrielle Union believes that “texture discrimination” is real, along with the model Olivia Anakwe. The actress reflected on her days on the red carpet and the times on movie sets when she didn’t like her hair. However, many movie sets did not fit the budgets that black makeup artists and hairstylists needed.
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Recently, the being mary jane the actress spoke about her time in america’s got talent, which was not fun for her at all. Her staff complained that her hair was “too black” for her audience, causing her to be fired from the show. If you didn’t think “texture discrimination” wasn’t real, read this.
Four.
Marsai Martin was one of the celebrities who addressed hair discrimination with Teen Vogue. But being on a show like Blackishhad the opportunity to use his voice over the effects of colorism and lighting in television and cinema.
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the episode of Blackish“Blacks Like Us” showed Diane taking a class photo and looking noticeably darker in the class photo, since there was hardly any light on it. Hollywood has struggled to shine more light on our dark-skinned actors and models.
5.
Who would have thought that Beyoncé had to tell a producer to accept her beautiful curves. This week the news broke that the singer had the austin powers remade cardstock because it looked “too skinny”. An exact Hollywood tactic of preying on lighter skinned black women with European features. She said, “You made me too skinny. It’s not me.”
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6.
Princess Tiana, also known as Anika Noni Rose, was a victim of skin lightening when Wreck it Ralph released a sequel starring a very light Tiana.
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Anika admitted that she was surprised that Disney lightened Princess Tiana’s skin tone when a commercial showed Tiana with apparently fair skin and curly light brown hair, which was the opposite of how the character debuted in 2009 in The princess and the frog.
7.
KJ Smith was saying to “come with washed hair” when he had a commercial a couple of years ago before his series regular Tyler Perry’s sisters.
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She then added that she brought a clean wig just in case, but the director insisted her natural hair was fine. He knew it was because they just didn’t want to comb her hair and didn’t know how to do it.
8.
Cicely Tyson opened up with the hollywood reporter in 2020 that when she started her career, her makeup would be “gray” because makeup artists didn’t know how to match her skin tone.
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He added: “It was very awkward looking at yourself because it didn’t look like me.”
9.
Previous The real host Loni Love criticized makeup artists for making her look gray earlier, saying“Honey, I’ve brought all my glam kit, flat irons, pink lotion, shea butter sometimes during a new game.”
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When The real First aired in 2013, it was hard to tell if comedienne Loni Love was due to bad lighting or terrible makeup. As the show has moved on and has just run its final season, it’s safe to say it was a mix of both, though Love mostly blamed makeup. She added, “Am I tired of looking gray with red lips??”
10
everyone knows why Monique Coleman wore headbands during the high school musical Serie. It was because the TV crew styled her textured hair on set. “wrong.”
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He recommended that his character wear headbands because the front didn’t look good. She adds: “But the truth is that they had done my hair and they had done it very badly in the front.”
eleven
Lupita Nyong’o and Grazia UK magazine had some tension after the magazine “edited and straightened” her hair to suit a more “Eurocentric” look for the 2017 cover.
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She tweeted, “Disappointed that Grazia UK edited and straightened my hair to fit a more Eurocentric notion of what beautiful hair looks like.” Grazia UK claimed that they did not make any “editorial requests” to the photographer to straighten her hair. So how did his natural ponytail magically disappear?
12
Viola Davis’ The decision not to wear a wig at the 2012 Oscars was all over social media as it was the first time she wore her natural hair. She said: “Not wearing a wig at the Oscars in 2012 was my protest.”
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Natural cold sparked a genuine conversation of African-American women sporting their natural crowns and the meaning behind it.
13
Keke Palmer was part of the PSA for Glamor along with Uzo Aduba and Gabrielle Union about behind-the-scenes discrimination regarding hair, saying, “I’ve been told it blocks people’s view.”
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Keke Palmer has always stayed real about her early acting career and where it has taken her now. As she reflected on the moments that reminded her, she noted that a woman once told her that her hair looks “more professional” if she puts it up in a bun.
14
The legendary and iconic Iman shared the real reason behind her line of cosmetics that she launched in 1994. When she started modeling and showed up for a photo shoot in 1975 for American Vogue, a makeup artist asked her, “Did you bring your own foundation? “.
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The situation set Iman Cosmetics up for victory, as they did makeup for women of color and didn’t have to worry about feeling insecure and gray in their skin.
fifteen.
Kerry Washington’s InStyle magazine cover was fully edited to not look exactly like Washington. The covering cleared his skin and he was totally unrecognizable.
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However, InStyle denied lightening your skin. Instead, the magazine said that “cover lighting likely contributed to this concern.” Washington welcomed the apology, responding: “Beautiful statement. Thank you for opening this conversation. It’s important.”
InStyle finally got it right in 2020 when they embraced their natural beauty on the recent cover.