‘The Parkers’ star Mo’Nique may have risen to become one of the world’s more recognisable actresses but it seems that hasn’t stopped her from being “blackballed” by Hollywood.
Why she’s been given good reason to believe the entertainment industry has turned its back on her?
Her story below…
The former star of The Parkers, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the title character’s abusive, domineering mother in Precious, writes in an essay in the Feb. 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter that director-producer Lee Daniels clued her in just a few months ago.
Noting that an Oscar win “normally does” lead to “more respect, choices, money” in the business, Mo’Nique writes, “But I got a phone call from Lee Daniels…And he said to me, ‘Mo’Nique, you’ve been blackballed.’ I said, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘Because you didn’t play the game.'”
After steamrolling the competition throughout the 2009-10 awards season, Mo’Nique famously didn’t campaign for her Oscar, going on to say in her acceptance speech that she was grateful to the Academy “for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics.”
“I said, ‘Well, what game is that?'” her THR piece continues. “He gave me no response.”
People who would say that she’s “difficult,” “tactless” or “tacky” would “probably be right,” the actress writes. “That’s why I have my beautiful husband because he’s so full of tact. I’m just a girl from Baltimore. But being from that place, you learn not to let anybody take advantage of you.”
Since co-starring in Precious with Gabourey Sidibe, Lenny Kravitz and an unrecognizable Mariah Carey, the 47-year-old actress only has a few credits to her name, none of them major theatrical releases.
Mo’Nique also writes that she was offered the role of Forest Whitaker‘s wife in Lee Daniels’ The Butler, a part that ultimately went to Oprah Winfrey; a role in the Daniels-produced Fox hit Empire; and the role of Richard Pryor‘s grandmother [also now set to be played by Oprah] in the upcoming biopic Daniels is working on—but, she adds, “they all just went away.”
In response, Daniels explained:
Mo’Nique is a creative force to be reckoned with. Her demands through Precious were not always in line with the campaign. This soured her relationship with the Hollywood community. I consider her a friend. I have and will always think of her for parts that we can collaborate on, however the consensus among the creative teams and powers thus far were to go another way with these roles
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Somebody please explain in Lamens term
There saying she was Lazy! Most people never get the Chance 2b up 4such an award so when ur like with Music Artist with a new album out u need 2go on late night shows & talk shows & everything else 2show your point of view & why the role was so important 2u & should win. It doesn’t just help u but also helps millions understand ur role. But if your like Katy Perry after the Super Bowl & just give nothing after such a big thing people pay you dust.
Typically when you want to be nominated or win an Academy award you have to campaign for it. Studios will spend a ton of money trying to influence the Academy to nominate and award their films. Monique decided not to do it and still won all the major awards that season, which is very impressive but I guess it infuriated the people higher up.
I can kinda see why she was blacklisted. If u are in a movie and don’t do the proper promotion to ensure the film is successfu. If she didnt do that, then I would fear she would do the same for a film that didnt have the Oscar buzz behind if.
BUT, I don’t see how kissing ass should grant u a win when u should ONLY win an award for the talent and how well you play a role.
Mo should have been trying to be a movie star long before doing small roles of a fat aunt and been up against queen latifiah for her roles like “bring down the house”.
She did this to herself. I’ll never forget how she turned her nose up at the Oscar committe and having to campaign after being nominated, talking about she had a show to do…on BET B****???!!!!…really….she fawkd up the opportunity of a lifetime
I don’t see anything wrong with what she did. So she’s wrong for refusing to suck up to them?she DID have a show to do. What do you mean by “on BET”?, when are people gonna start disrespecting black culture?
Regardless of what she did during the campaign trail, The academy still thought that she deserved to win so they gave her the Oscar. I don’t really think she was black balled, just unlucky.
Most black actor’s careers slow down after they win an Oscar. Denzel, Halle,Cuba Gooding, Octavia Spencer is being typecasted, Whoopi Goldberg JUST managed to get a spot on the view after all these years. It’s how the game goes
and that’s fine…but b**** dont complain when u dont get it…half of life is sucking up…your fav (whoever they may be) has done tons of it to get to where they are
*Stop
I feel where you’re coming from, everyone is given the opportunity to suck up at some time in their career. I respect people like Her,Dave Chappelle,Paul Mooney and Spike Lee who don’t wanna be sucking and jiving but you can’t have it both ways. If you wanna be on your own then you can’t complain when these corporations don’t rock with you.
I don’t care.Her hate for skinny women is disgusting.
I don’t think she hates skinny woman.. She’s a Comedian they need a tag line to stick too for example.. Chelsea lately is known for doging all races even her own that’s what she does.. As we know late Joan rivers was known for doging celebrities no matter how famous they were its just a thing.
So Lee Daniels just implied he was the one who blackballed her! I read between the lines!
Right!?! Offered all those roles and then they just “went away.”
Lee can only offer her a role…the studio has the final say so…. who u think they rollin with…Monique or oprah? lol
‘The Parkers’ star Mo’Nique may have risen to become one of the world’s more recognisable actresses.
David i love you but….
Girl stop. He is right. Everyone knows Mondays.
She’s about as famous as Ciaras baby’s dad #pawnyouroscar child
Shes an Academy Award Winner….. DEAL!!
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And I also CANNOT WAIT for her new film “BlackBird” It looks sooo good!
And Ciara is just a no-winning flop.
Wtf does Ciara has to do with this? Oh, I get it… You’re just going thru withdrawal. It’s Okay! I’m waiting on her new music too. SlayCiCiSlay!
#iBet #Jackie
Better join the cast of Hollywood Divas with Countess and get her name back out there lol. Jk. She is one of the few actresses that I actually enjoy. The woman can act and she has done a variety of different characters vs her peers, so I can’t explain why her career did what it did but that Hollywood black balled her. It also seems that Lee Daniels is blaming it on himself.
Monique is NOT one of the most recognized actresses in the world. Maybe in America. I think Will Smith & Denzel Washington are the most recognizable BLACK actors in the world. WILL might be THE most recognizable one in Hollywood PERIOD tho. Black or White.
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Also, Monique you’re old & irrelevant. That’s why Hollywood is ignoring you. Same thing is happening with many WHITE (and other races of women) in Hollywood too.
WILL might be THE most recognizable one in Hollywood PERIOD tho. Black or White.
Stephy i love you but…Dicaprio, De Niro, Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, James Franco etc….Oh and Denzel >>>Smith 😀
Will Smith is globally more known than Al Pacino, Sean Penn, De Niro & James Franco. But, Brad is bigger. I agree. I’m not saying he’s better than them. But, definitely more popular imo
Did you really just include james franco in your list? No. Nobody gave a s*** about him until this interview movie got famous.
No Ho3! Morgan Freeman is the most recognized!
Aka ‘mo’nique you’re a good actress but why have you when we can get Oprah who tbh isn’t the BESTTTT actress but we know not only can she help finance it, but her name is going to make it a box office hit’.. This industry is something else
I heard about this years ago but didn’t know how true it was. Monique is a hilarity comedian and for actress. She should do some more stand ups.
Hilarious*
Who and what is that?
This is truly sad, this whole time I was thinking where is Mo’nique? She should do Queens of Comedy or do the late night talk show again. Just sayin’
I heard she lost her talk show because of her attitude and demands. It had great ratings too…
Wow… that’s even more depressing to have found that out 🙁
Shake my damn head Hollywood is racists as hell and pure evil. You have to literally f*** your way to the top.” Once you have a mind of your own, they won’t never leave you alone ” – Lisa Left Eye …There are so many other great talented black actors/actresses out here that are blacklisted ! And the only time Hollywired decides to cast blacks are the one they know to bring in money (Will Smith, Denzel, Oprah, n Jamie Foxx) and certain movies that has two or one black friend with 5 white friends in total.
I would have blacklisted her *** too. I like Mo’Nique and consider myself a longtime fan, but if I were a director/producer and had her star in a film for which she received an Academy Award nomination, I’d be pissed if she didn’t bother to try to win the award for the sake of the film, if not her own career.
Precious has a better career than her right now kii
I LOVE THAT EPISODE !! Monique Is hilarious !!
It has nothing to do with being blackballed. Most Oscar winners
disappear after their win. The hype is dead, the movie itself wasn’t huge, it was just Oscar buzz. You won Best Actor and Actress last year? The year before that? It’s hyped from Dec to Feb, filled with movies that NO ONE want to see and the ones that does will see them only because of the Oscar Buzz. Mo was never a movie star, so why would she expect more roles when she spent two decades being the funny fat chick in Black films.
.
People did say that she changed when she won and got married. But look at Berry, what role has she been in that was huge? Sandra Bulluck? Porman? Only a few will take the award and still have a career, and most of the time they already had a full career before the win.
GURL have several seats hunny. Your career has been on a downward-spiral ever since you went on that Flavor of Love spin off, Charm School. And Mo gurl, don’t be mad that your typecasted when you did the absolute most to play the stereotypical characters early in your career.
“world’s more recognisable actresses”
Stop it! LOL
She did good in Precious (for some critics a little bit overacted) but that´s her career as an actress. As a low budget film, not many people saw that film either (I did so it´s no shade, and they did good) so how the hell is she going to be one of the most recognisable actresses in the world? 🙂
I agree with what some were saying on here. She should do another Queens of Comedy tour, bring one to movie theater just to get her name out there again.
If the academy truly makes it’s nominations and determinations based on talent and artistry, why should anyone have to campaign? The art should speak for itself. And further more I believe that there’s more at play here.
1.) If Daniels was the director then he was the one who could have stood up for his “friend” and still decide to put her in “his” films? #SellOut
2.) What “powers” is Daniels referring
to? Creative Teams was information enough but to go a step further and say “powers”. Common sense would say that a director should be able to decide who should play what parts so.long as it’s in the budget… Right. So who’s really pulling the strings?
3.) The fact that Daniels wouldn’t not only elaborate but respond at all when she asked “What game is that?” I also another key into the subtext of their conversation. One would assume the politics of the #Oscars but something else altogether is being said here…
4.) When Mo’Nique speaks about why people in Hollywood may have not meshed well with her. She doesn’t speak of being misunderstood, she speaks of knowing how to NOT BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF! Taken advantage of by who? How? In what way?
In conclusion we all know that there is a dark malevolent society in control of the upper echelons of Hollywood. And truth of the matter is this:
Mo’Nique refused to sell her soul. She refused to play “the game” to be taken advantage of and controlled and was blackballed. She’s speaking out the safest way she knows how. She isn’t the first to speak out and she won’t be the last.