Gabrielle Union has nearly 90 acting credits on IMDb. She has appeared on-screen since the mid-90s. She has had scene-stealing turns in cult classics and blockbusters alike, from “Bring It On” to “10 Things I Hate About You” to the “Bad Boys” franchise. With a CV like that, Union should be a major Hollywood player. In an essay reprinted by Good Morning America, she explains why that’s not the case — and calls out how Hollywood’s fake meritocracy mistreats Black women.
Serving as the foreword to the book “Supreme Actresses: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Hollywood,” Union’s essay argues that Black women are expected to work as hard as they possibly can, achieve more than white artists, and be grateful for receiving less in return.
“Once you are in Hollywood, you begin to believe that if you work hard enough, if your movies make a certain amount, if your television show is a hit, if you do all these things, fairness and success are assured. But then the bar keeps moving, and your expectations are so high because you’ve worked your ass off and you’ve overachieved more times than you can count,” Union writes. “So when it doesn’t pan out how they tell you it will based upon good old-fashioned American meritocracy, it hurts a thousand times worse than if you had no expectations. When you drink the Kool-Aid, it’s that poison that hits a little different.”
The “L.A.’s Finest” actress continues, “But it’s Hollywood and the allure of fame, and you can’t help but drink the Kool-Aid because you have to believe that there is another level if you work hard enough. You believe if you achieve enough success, or if enough people know you, that this couldn’t all have been for naught. There must be another level, and we’re all trying to get to this mysterious other level, this A-list.” She adds, “Then you discover, ‘This can’t be the A-list, because nothing has changed. I’m just making more money for other people while reaping none of the benefits.’”
Essentially, Union is accurately describing Hollywood as a system that’s designed to marginalize Black stories and artists, and support white ones. And all the while, it presents itself as an unbiased industry where the folks with the power and money have ascended solely because of their talent. The fact that the vast majority of those people are white men is just a weird coincidence.
Kudos to Union for calling bullshit on that.
You can catch Union next in “The Proud Family” revival “Louder and Prouder,” expected next year. She, Taraji P. Henson, and Effie T. Brown are teaming up for a “Sorcerority” film adaptation, and Union’s also developing a series based on “The Sisters Are Alright” with Sonja Perryman. “Being Mary Jane” and “Breaking In” are among her more recent credits.
