Nia Long Denied ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Role For Looking ‘Too Old’ Beside Drew Barrymore
While calling out racist, ageist ‘Charlie’s Angels‘ casting crew, actor Nia Long reveals she was denied the role of “Alex Munday” in 2000 for looking “too old” when put next to potential co-star Drew Barrymore, who plays “Dylan Sanders” in the movie series.
Long recalls, “I was like, ‘What?’ I love Drew Barrymore, I think she’s amazing, but I think that was just a nice wy to say you’re a little too Black.” Seemingly, her theory was confirmed after it was revealed that Lucy Liu, who is six years older than Barrymore, would play the role of “Alex Munday,” instead of Long, who is only four years older than Barrymore.
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Long adds, “Personally, that’s what I think. Because if you notice there were no brown skin [actors]. I mean, honestly, I would have been the blackest thing in the film. The feedback that I received from my agent was, ‘She just looked too old and sophisticated to be next to Drew Barrymore. And I’m thinking to myself, it’s an actor’s choice to walk in the room how they want to look, but it’s a director’s vision to help create and curate a character. So if you couldn’t see beyond the fact that I had on a blazer and a pair of jeans then that was clearly not the job and opportunity for me. So, no problem, I’ll keep it moving.”
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