An Oscar win usually opens plenty of doors for actors and actresses in Hollywood. But one Academy Award honoree says that after her big win, she was essentially "blackballed" by the industry.
Best Supporting Actress winner Mo'Nique was on top of the world after snagging the statuette for 2009's "Precious." But according to the star, her decision not to campaign for the award -- typically meant to include attending parties, screenings, and other events in promotion of the film or other awards season contenders -- caused a major rift between her and Hollywood power players, and led to her losing out on multiple roles as a result.
In an extensive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mo'Nique reflected on what the win meant to her personally -- she sees herself as a spiritual successor to "Gone with the Wind" star Hattie McDaniel, the first-ever African-American Academy Award winner -- and ultimately how it affected her position in the industry.
"What I understood was that when I won that Oscar, things would change," Mo'Nique told THR. " ... It should come with more respect, more choices and more money. It should, and it normally does."
Unfortunately, the actress said, it didn't. She said she received a call from her "Precious" director Lee Daniels about "six or seven months ago," and he dropped a bomb.
"And he said to me, 'Mo'Nique, you've been blackballed,'" the actress recalled. "And I said, 'I've been blackballed? Why have I been blackballed?' And he said, 'Because you didn't play the game.' And I said, 'Well, what game is that?' And he gave me no response."
Mo'Nique went on to say that she had been offered parts in other Daniels projects, including his hit Fox series "Empire" and Oscar nominee "The Butler." But none of them panned out, she said, alluding to the fact that Daniels claimed she was asking for too much money.
Daniels issued a statement to THR addressing Mo'Nique's assertions, writing:
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.
For more from the actress, read the entire exchange over at THR.
Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images
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