Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh says the show has issues with ‘lighting Black skin’
“I want to stay in character,” Andoh says. “I just want to come on and be Lady Danbury and do what she’s got to do and be totally engaged with that.”
Adjoa Andoh is opening up about her experience on the hit Netflix series “Bridgerton” and “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.”
The actress, who plays Lady Danbury in the “Bridgerton” universe, revealed in a recent episode of the Stirring it Up podcast that she does not yet feel “empowered” in her career, in part because of extra steps she must take as a Black woman. Andoh said that she has faced a “continuing conversation about lighting Black skin.”
“On every show, nothing’s changed,” the actress shared about her experience with poor lighting.
Andoh added the industry is becoming more aware of how to properly light all skin tones, but Black actors are expected to constantly explain and advocate for themselves, while white actors can just focus on their craft.
“I want to stay in character,” Andoh said. “I just want to come on and be Lady Danbury and do what she’s got to do and be totally engaged with that.”
Andoh added that she does feel empowered to stand up for Black actors some of the time on the set of “Bridgerton,” but it’s not a consistent feeling.
“I will now go: ‘Am I blond?’” she said, referencing the poor lighting. “But I hate doing it because a bit of me is like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to make a fuss.’ When people say we’re chippy or we’re being militant or we’re all that stuff, what I want to say is, ‘I’m just a human being and I just want to do the gift that I’m blessed with. I want to do it in a free way, like I see many other people doing.’”
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Andoh went on to say that she often wonders if she’s missing out on roles, or booking them, because of the color of her skin. She describes the process as “very tiring and very distracting,” adding that Black actors shouldn’t have to carry this weight in the entertainment industry, per People.
“I don’t want to think about it,” she said. “I just want to get the job because I’m great, or not get the job because I’m s—.”
