Nicole Byer Reveals Casting Director Once Asked Her to 'Be Blacker' During Audition

justjared.com:

Nicole Byer is confirming a big rumor. In a new interview with Laverne Cox on the special If We’re Being Honest, the 36-year-old Nailed It!

host and stand-up comic confirmed that she was asked by a casting director to “talk more Black” during an audition. Click inside to read more… “Allegedly, a casting director asked you to ‘talk more Black’ at one point?” Laverne, 50, asked Nicole, according to E!

News. “Allegedly? It happened so much,” Nicole responded. “Usually, they say ‘sassy, more street, more urban,’” Nicole continued. “But I read it, and she was like, ‘Can you be Blacker?’ I was just playing a fairy.

And she was like, ‘Be as Black as you can be. If you go too Black, I’ll bring you back.’” Laverne then asked Nicole if she could recall the race of that particular casting director, to which Nicole responded, “Oh, you know she was white like the snow.” Nicole went on to say that this incident occurred when she was first starting out and that she had no choice but to go along with it, even though she didn’t enjoy doing it. “It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t great,” Nicole admitted. “It didn’t feel good to do it.” Laverne then asked, “Did you ever go too Black and need to be pulled back?” “She never had to pull me back,” Nicole jokingly responded. “But I wish I’d gone far enough.”