Gabrielle Union-Wade has been dazzling audiences for decades. The 50-year-old's career began in the 1990s, where she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, such as Sister, Sister and Moesha. Union won acclaim for her supporting roles in 90s teen films She's All That and 10 Things I Hate About You. She became a household name in her breakthrough role as cheerleader Isis in the teen film Bring It On. She also played a love interest to both Ross (David Schwimmer) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) in a 2001 episode of Friends.
Union is also known for her leading roles in Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Think Like a Man (2012) and Think Like a Man Too (2014). In 2013, Union began starring as the lead character in BET drama series Being Mary Jane, for which she has received an NAACP Image Award.
Outside of acting, Union has written four books: two memoirs, titled We're Going to Need More Wine (2017) and You Got Anything Stronger? (2021), and two children's books, titled Welcome to the Party (2020) and Shady Baby (2021). Union was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. But idols have idols too and Union is a huge fan of music legend Janet Jackson.
But what happened when the two icons auditioned for the same role?
Gabrielle Union Use To Hide Her Upper Lip
Gabrielle Union is currently courting Oscar Buzz for her role in new drama The Inspector. In a Q&A at the 60th New York Film Festival last month, Union revealed the struggles in her earlier career. She was often cast in predominantly white films where she would be the only black character. It left Union feeling that she had to hide her features.
“I mean to not make light of it, but I gambled with my upper lip. For many years I would literally smile [while hiding my lip]. Because I thought if I let my full lip be seen, then they would know I was Black. … As illogical and silly and stupid as that is, I tried to minimize my Blackness. I tried to constantly be shape-shifting that dual consciousness," Union revealed.
"I had multiple personalities. I was trying to constantly change who I was, depending on the room, if I thought it was gonna get me this far ahead. All the things that you do for a man, all the things that you do for Jesus, all the things that you do for whoever you think that is going to deem you worthy, deem you good enough, deem you worthy of all the opportunities in life, riches, you'll do anything."
She continued, "You will barter with anything. And for some of us that's children. And for me, it was my soul many times. So when I realized that common ground, it's dark. It’s just very dark and disturbing.”
Gabrielle Union Channeled Janet Jackson When She Auditioned For 'The Matrix'
In 1999, Gabrielle Union's auditioned for what would be a movie phenomenon - The Matrix. Union told host James Corden on The Late Late Show that “everyone and their mother” auditioned for a role, so she had to stand out. So for inspiration she drew on her idol: Janet Jackson. “To me, I needed to feel like the most powerful, beautiful, and amazing woman in the world. So of course, I wanted to channel Janet Jackson.”
“I wanted to get the good hair, the Janet hair, from the weave emporium,” she said. “I literally [found] the exact outfit from her album cover. I [drew] in the damn mole. I [was] fully committed.” But what she wasn't expecting was for Ms Jackson herself to walk in! Jackson was also auditioning for a role in the film “and I’m cosplaying as Janet, with a weird drawn-on mole,” Union joked.
Both women lost out on the role and Union believes she knows why. “I think we canceled each other out,” she said. “I’m pretty sure there was a restraining order of sorts.”