Lenny Kravitz is convinced he lost out on a role in hit TV show Big Little Lies because producers felt uneasy about casting a black actor as the villain.
The HBO television series, based on Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name, was one of the most critically acclaimed dramas of 2017, boasting an all-star cast including Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley.
Lenny was reportedly “considered to play one of the husbands” in the drama, but is adamant being “the only black man on the show” was a disadvantage during auditions.
“The word that came back to me was that, if I was the only black man on the show, they didn’t want me doing what it was that I would be doing,” he told the BBC. “So that ended up not happening. The director (Jean-Marc Vallee) was like, ‘I so want you for this but we’ll work together another time.'”
When probed on what character he was up for, Lenny, 54, mumbled: “I can’t really say”, but it appears he is referring to Celeste Wright’s abusive husband Perry – a role eventually awarded to Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, who won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance.
But Lenny, who has previously starred in films like Precious and The Hunger Games, insisted he isn’t too upset about missing out, after his daughter Zoe was later cast as bohemian yoga teacher Bonnie in the drama series.
“I’m much more happy that she got the role,” he smiled. “It worked out wonderfully.”
Kravitz also rebuffed rumours that he would be joining the show for its second season, which will star Meryl Streep, after it was revealed Bonnie’s father could enter the drama.
“As fun as that sounds – that’s not going to happen,” he smiled. “But I love all the ladies in the show. I actually just saw them in LA, we had a birthday party for Reese Witherspoon and it was wonderful being with all the ladies and my daughter.”
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