Photo: Jeremy David
The 65-year-old actress opens up about the painful memory in this week’s issue of PEOPLE, as she recounts the highs and lows of her 45-year career.
Reflecting on trying to make a name for herself in 1980s Hollywood, Ralph says, “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,'” she recalls. “Those were his words. It was horrible. I can still remember the way I felt.”
Despite the painful comment, the actress says she remained positive. “It’s all about the lens that you see through,” notes Ralph, who playsAbbott Elementary’sfirm but loving kindergarten teacher, Barbara Howard.
Sheryl Lee Ralph with her Abbott Elementary costars, Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams.Gilles Mingasson/abc
Ralph’s comment comes a month after she told the co-hosts ofThe Viewthat a casting director once questioned if she was capable of being a romantic lead opposite a major movie star likeTom Cruise.
“[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 withTom Cruise? Do you kiss? Who goes to seethatmovie?'” she said during her March 4 appearance.
When asked to reveal the name of the casting director, Ralph declined.
“Why bother? Look at me now,” she said, before adding, “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 heshouldkiss me.”
“I didn’t understand why anybody felt it was necessary to destroy the family,” Ralph says of the show’s storyline.
Brandy and Sheryl Lee Ralph in the teen sitcom, Moesha.Paramount Television/Courtesy Everett Collection
These days the actress — who has two adult children, Etienne, 30, and Ivy-Victoria, 27 — is loving being part of theAbbott Elementaryfamily as they tell the story of an underfunded Philadelphia school and its devoted teachers.
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“We fit together like a zipper,” Ralph says of her colleagues, which include costar and show creatorQuinta Brunson. “We just lock perfectly together, and it is a dream come true for all of us.”
Abbott Elementaryairs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.
source: people.com
