On Wednesday, Faizon Love has filed a lawsuit against Universal, accusing them of race discrimination when he was completely removed from the “Couples Retreat” movie poster.
RELATED STORIES: McDonald’s Denies Using Travis Scott & Other Rappers To Cover Up Ongoing Racial Discrimination Lawsuits
The lawsuit filed by the actor alleges he was the victim of whitewashing after being completely removed from the 2009 film’s poster although Love and his co-star, Kali Hawk, played as the only non-white couple.
He exclusively told us, “When I saw John Boyega was going to be in Star Wars, I was so proud of him, and when they took him off of the promotional poster, I felt like that was a direct result of me not standing up and speaking out at the time for the next generation of Black actors.”
Although Universal has apologized for their actions, Love discovered that the altered poster is still being used worldwide to continue promoting the film. It also claims Universal executives bribed him with various TV and film roles so he could keep quiet about the controversial move.
“This film was a big money-maker for Universal, but instead of honoring my work and my contract, the studio chose to render me invisible to billions of moviegoers around the world,”
RELATED STORIES: Gabrielle Union Settles With NBC Over ‘America’s Got Talent’ Discrimination Claims
As reported by Variety, Love’s co-actor, Vince Vaugh, allegedly told him that “making a big deal about his removal from the poster would not be good for his career at that time.” The actor said the incident caused his career to remain stagnant since the company didn’t offer him any jobs. The suit has accused Universal of breach of contract, fraud, and violation of California’s fair employment act and civil rights law.
“They have not only hurt me financially, but they have also hurt me in a deeper way by dismissing me because of my Blackness — and they have hurt all Black performers by continuing to perpetuate racism in the movie industry, I want to ensure that future generations don’t have to endure the racism and whitewashing that I have experienced.”