Gabrielle Union opens up about her acting career in the early years.
In a new Apple TV+ two-part documentary called Number One on the Call Sheet, Union, along with Tessa Thompson, Halle Berry, and Taraji P. Henson, speaks on the struggles they faced during their careers.
In her segment, Union talked about being “typecast” because of her non-Eurocentric features. “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,” she said. “I started feeling invisible, like my beauty wasn’t wanted. As a romantic lead? No.”
In her early films, such as 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s All That, Bring It On, and Love & Basketball, Union would often play mean high-school characters. “My look was appealing enough. But not so overpowering that it overshadows the White lead,” Union said. “You know, and that was my bread and butter, like, for a long time. The b****y, sassy friend.”
Gabrielle Union gained lead roles in Black comedy, drama, and action films like The Wood, Deliver Us From Eva, Bad Boys II, and others.
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