Gabrielle Union has come a long way in her career ever since she started acting in 1997. However, her journey was filled with obstacles. In an industry where white women were allegedly given better opportunities earlier, Union faced the biggest obstacle in an actor's life, being typecast as a sidekick.
Union was recently featured in a documentary, Number One On The Call Sheet. In the documentary, several actors of color shared their struggles and revealed how they felt when they first saw their name on the call sheet. Several black A-listers, including Halle Berry, Viola Davis, Angela Bassett, and more actresses, shared their stories in the documentary's second episode, Black Leading Women In Hollywood.
In the episode, Union opened up about the tribulations she faced in the industry and how a black woman's beauty does not always meet the set standards. She also highlighted the issues black women face in becoming leading stars. It took Union years to finally become number one on the call sheet.
Talking about her struggle, Gabrielle Union said,
"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."
"I started feeling invisible, like my beauty wasn’t wanted. As a romantic lead? No," she added.
The Breaking In actress added that her look was "appealing enough," but it was not enough to overshadow "the white leads." She further mentioned how she was the perfect person to play the "b**chy, sassy friend."
"And so I was the perfect person to be ‘the friend,’ just left of center of this White girl. These — 'cause there was a series of them: 10 Things I Hate About You. Then She’s All That. Then the following summer, Bring It On. You know, and that was my bread and butter, like, for a long time. The b**chy, sassy friend."
Before Gabrielle Union pointed out how she was always cast as the friend, the script of the 1999 rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You flashed on the screen. It narrated the bathroom scene in which Chastity, played by Union, shared the screen with Larisa Oleynik's lead character Bianca. The script read,
"BIANCA STRATFORD, a beautiful sophomore, stares facing the mirror. Her less extraordinary, but still cute friend, CHASTITY, stands next to her."
Talking about the lives of black actresses who achieved a lot in their careers after facing a lot of troubles in the industry, director Shola Lynch said that these women "represent a singular generation of Black leading actresses — some of the best of the best."
Gabrielle Union's movies and TV shows
Gabrielle Union began acting in 1997, appearing in the sixth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She also played a small role in Moesha as well as Smart Guy. During the early years of her career, she also guest starred in the legendary sitcom Friends in the episode The One With The Cheap Wedding Dress. She played the role of a young woman named Kristen who goes on dates with both Ross and Joey creating confusion between the two.
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Her movie debut came with the 1999 movie She's All That. Romantic comedies have been a great part of Union's career as she portrayed side roles in several of them: The Brothers, Deliver Us From Eva, Daddy's Little Girls, and more.
After playing supporting roles in many movies and shows, she finally got the spotlight in the BET TV series Being Mary Jane in 2013. Union played the titular role in the series, which went on till 2019.
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