It’s no secret that Gabrielle Union was one of many actors who auditioned for the hit television series Scandal. She didn’t end up starring in the Shonda Rhimes hit series, but Union did find a hit of her own with Being Mary Jane. However, some fans couldn’t help but compare the shows, which rubbed Union the wrong way.
What bugged Gabrielle Union about ‘Scandal’ comparisons with ‘Being Mary Jane’
Union has been very candid about how badly she wanted to star in Scandal. She was one of the last women being considered for the role before Kerry Washington was picked to play Olivia Pope. Union wasn’t bitter about the outcome, however. Instead, she was even more encouraged. Scandal showed Union there were other alternative shows available that might’ve met her standards.
“I said to myself, ‘Oh my God, these roles are out there,’” Union once said according to The Grio. “It showed me that you don’t have to settle. Luckily, the success of her and the show bred more work.”
Instead of Scandal, Union managed to land the series Being Mary Jane. The BET show saw Union playing a broadcast journalist trying to balance her complicated personal life with her professional career. Union was so proud of the series that it made losing out on Scandal worth it.
“I didn’t get Scandal, but I got something better — which is my own show,” she said. “It’s all about building a legacy. This new opportunity is something I feel that can grow.”
But the two shows airing in the same years led to comparisons between the two that Union didn’t think held any merit. If only because she didn’t agree with the reasons why Scandal was being compared to Being Mary Jane.
“What bugs me is that they’re making the comparison because they’re both shows that star black women,” she said. “It’s such apples and oranges. It’s like comparing True Detective and Law & Order — you would never do that. What it says is we need so much more diversity in TV. We need shows starring women of color or women of a certain age or women who aren’t a size 2. If that happens, the world isn’t going to end.”
Did Gabrielle Union lose out on ‘Scandal’ because she wasn’t pretty enough?
Although Union lost Scandal to Washington, the Bring It On star wasn’t bitter about the outcome. Instead, she congratulated Washington on her success, and couldn’t have been more thrilled that she nabbed the part.
“I was one of the last five or 10 to audition … when Kerry got it, I congratulated her. Now after each episode, I’m leading the charge, like Gladiators, stand up! I’m obsessed with the show,” Union once told Rolling Out.
But Union might’ve revealed a much more shallow reason behind Washington being cast in Scandal. In an interview with Netflix (via Buzzfeed), Union once reflected on being told she wasn’t pretty enough to get a particular role. She didn’t name the project she was talking about, but a few believe she was referencing Scandal.
“Years ago, I was up for a big job,” Union said. “And after numerous callbacks, and studio tests, it was down to just the two of us. I was told I didn’t get the part because, ‘She’s just prettier than you.’ For someone who had low self-esteem, it just felt like there was no place for me, for my kind of Blackness.”
But in hindsight, Union recognized that not getting the part in question might’ve been a good thing,
“When someone shows you, by how they negotiate, what they think your real value is, that opening number, you have to take that as a sign. Because in their perfect world, you would accept that low number. And as you then have to negotiate your value, it reveals a lot about the experience that you’re about to embark on,” she said
