Gabourey Sidibe was nominated for an Oscar in 2010 for her role in Precious, but she says compared to her white counterparts, her journey was far from easy.
That year, white actress Anna Kendrick was also up for Best Supporting Actress for her part in the movie, Up in the Air. While neither actresses won their respective nominations, she says Kendrick was showered with opportunities. The same could not be said for her.
“I’ve heard the idea that I’m just lucky before,” the Antebellum star told Collider. “I’ve heard that. I’m an extremely unlucky person, actually. I work really, really hard though. And no, the Hollywood seas didn’t part for me in the same way that it might have for maybe Anna Kendrick who was nominated for the first time that year as well, who then went on to star in films and television and the whole thing. The seas did not part that same way for me and I assume that there are a few factors that made that so, but I am still working 10 years later.”
Despite Hollywood openly embracing Kendrick and essentially shutting her out, Sidibe says she is thankful for still working “12 years after having filmed” Precious.
“I know my artistry. And so, you know, starring in things or being on the covers of magazines, all of these things that say that I’ve ‘made it,’ everything that solidifies my position on the A-list, whatever that means, doesn’t actually mean anything to my self-worth and my sense of artistry.”
