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Gabourey Sidibe Says She's Been Sent Scripts That Describe Her As A 'Hippo'!

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This is so ridiculous!
Gabourey Sidibe is one of the most talented, intensely watchable actresses working right now, but for some reason a lot of people just want to talk — and write — about her weight.
Related: Gabourey Reveals She Got Secret Weight Loss Surgery ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ But NOT ‘To Be Beautiful’
At SXSW on Saturday, the Empire actress spoke on Glamour‘s Powered By Women initiative panel, getting candid about some very hurtful, body shaming comments.
No, not from anonymous Internet trolls — from screenwriters! She explained:

“I get a lot of scripts and offers where someone has to make mention of my body immediately. Someone wrote a script with me in mind and the first time someone other than my character was talking about my character, they say ├óΓé¼╦£this hippo’ or ├óΓé¼╦£this elephant.’
I’m like, ├óΓé¼╦£Are you serious? You wrote something for me and you’re calling me a hippo.’ This is my body. This has been my body my entire life, and in my life my friends and my colleagues are not constantly talking about my body. But in most of my roles, somebody has to make mention of it.”

Seriously?! Are YOU talking about your friends’ and family’s bodies all the time?
Just sad. No wonder we don’t see her in enough movies.
Video: Watch The Brand New Wonder Woman Trailer
But of course, that isn’t the ONLY way screenwriters get it wrong. There’s also a race issue that Gabourey experiences sometimes:

“I have had to read plenty of lines and words for my black ass that was written by a white man. Not to say that it is not good. There is a lot that you don’t know, really.”

But of course, someone as self-assured and real as Gabourey doesn’t stand for bullshit writing. She said:

“Depending on the work, I have had to check the honesty and cater it to me as a black woman. It is the actor’s job to honesty-check it… I will pull out my black card and slap someone in the face with it.”

Ha! Love it!
What kind of role would YOU love to see Gabourey in??
[Image via FayesVision/WENN.]

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Mar 13, 2017 14:32pm PDT