Sheryl Lee Ralph is a Hollywood legend, and she’s got the stories—and scars—to prove it.
The actress, who currently stars as kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard on ABC’s Abbott Elementary, is reflecting back on the 1980s, when she was trying to break into the industry
“I was dismissed from a pilot flight because the producer said I wasn’t Black enough,” she stated. People. He said these words. It was terrible. It was horrible.
Ralph was a star of shows such as MoeshaAnd Ray DonovanAccording to a spokesperson, the incident of racism that she was subjected to wasn’t isolated.
She explained that “People’s thinking wasn’t very inclusive.” “You [had]Directors who tried to teach you Black culture.”
This isn’t the first time Ralph has spoken up about mistreatment—or erasure—within the industry, even after decades of accomplishments.
“About two or three years ago, I made a series called FamShe spoke for CBS The Hollywood Reporter as part of its Blackfamous roundtable in February, which centered on “the duality of fame in Black Hollywood.” According to her, one of the executives producers came up to her on my first day and asked, “So, tell me. What have you done?”