Gabrielle Union Reflects on Being Typecast as the "Bitchy, Sassy Friend" as a Black Woman in Hollywood
"I started feeling invisible, like my beauty wasn't wanted."
Gabrielle Union has starred in everything from Bring It On to Bad Boys II, establishing herself as a dextrous talent, capable of taking on any genre. In a new interview, Union shared how racism has impacted her career, and led to her being typecast as a young actress.
While appearing in Apple TV+'s new series, Number One on the Call Sheet, Union reflected on being typecast in a way her white peers weren't. "When you have a more coarse grade of hair, when you have melanin, thicker nose, wider nose, wider lips, you're not considered, you know, a classic beauty," Union said in the show's second episode, "Black Leading Women in Hollywood" (via People). "I started feeling invisible, like my beauty wasn't wanted. As a romantic lead? No."
Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union in Bring It On.
Referencing her roles in teen movies like She's All That, Bring It On, and 10 Things I Hate About You, Union explained, "My look was appealing enough. But not so overpowering that it overshadows the white lead." She continued, "I was the perfect person to be 'the friend,' just left of center of this white girl."
Discussing the classic teen movie roles she won early in her career, Union said, "You know, and that was my bread and butter, like, for a long time. The bitchy, sassy friend."
"My look was appealing enough. But not so overpowering that it overshadows the white lead."
In a 2016 interview with Harper's BAZAAR, Union discussed some of the most exhausting aspects of being a Black woman in Hollywood. "That sense of being hyper-visible or invisible on sets," she told the outlet. "When do you stand up and point out every micro-aggression, and when do you stand down so you're not the angry Black person all the time? It's tiring. It feels like another job that you're not getting paid for—that is all encompassing."
