Sheryl Lee Ralph might have powerful tenure among the critically lauded cast of the hit ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary, but the actress revealed in a recent interview that she was once fired from a TV pilot over an issue relating to her race.
“People’s thinking was not very inclusive. You [had] directors who were still trying to tell you how to be Black,” she told PEOPLE of her experience attempting to forge a path through Hollywood in the 1980s. “I was fired from a pilot because the producer told me I was ‘not Black enough.’ Those were his words. It was horrible. I can still remember the way I felt.”
Ralph — who currently stars on Abbott Elementary as no-nonsense kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard — did not specify which pilot she was fired from, but stressed that she remained hopeful about her career: “It’s all about the lens that you see through,” she finished.
MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images Sheryl Lee Ralph stars in the ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary
Ralph’s comments follow her revelation earlier this year that a casting agent once expressed apprehension about putting her in leading roles because of her race.
“When I left Broadway, going to Hollywood, I had a memorable audition with a big casting director who looked at me and said, ‘Everybody knows you’re a beautiful, talented Black girl, but what do I do with a beautiful, talented Black girl?'” the 65-year-old said on The View in March. He asked, “‘Do I put you in a movie with Tom Cruise? Do you kiss? Who goes to see that movie?'”
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In addition to her recent role on Abbott Elementary, Ralph was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the beloved stage musical Dreamgirls. She later won an Indie Spirit Award for her performance in the film To Sleep With Anger and scored five NAACP Image Award nominations for her work on the TV series Moesha.
Read Ralph’s full PEOPLE interview here.
Hear more on all of today’s must-see picks on EW’s What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall.
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