Jennifer Esposito has had a big career in Hollywood. She's landed large roles on some popular TV shows including but not limited to NCIS, Blue Bloods, The Affair and Mistresses, not to mention Spin City, which jumpstarted her career years ago. She's also made movie appearances, including in Crash. However, in a post on her social media this week, the former NCIS actress revealed that she's faced a lot of stress in the business, namely because she says casting directors have told her again and again she's not been "white enough" for certain roles. In a series of comments she said:
Have a question for my actor friends. Ever get totally blocked by casting directors?... Not getting a job is one thing, but not even being allowed in a room to have an opportunity is another... In the last month I was told I was not white enough for 5 different projects. How is this still going on or allowed? Just not okay.
The actress took to Facebook to talk about losing out on 5 roles, saying she's been told it is because of the way she looks. The actress is Italian-American and she also mentioned in her post that her last name may not help the situation. She feels people may see "Esposito" and judge her right off the bat, and even gives anecdotal evidence that Marisa Tomei allegedly told her to change her name early in her career. She didn't, and now feels her name hinders her from opportunities to read for roles.
Jennifer Esposito has made headlines for issues that have cropped up in her career previously. She was a staple on Blue Bloods when she was diagnosed and began living with Celiac Disease. There was a dispute between Esposito and the show about five years ago, during which Blue Bloods felt it could not put the actress on a limited schedule and Esposito felt she deserved one. Instead, Blue Bloods asked Esposito to take some time off, the relationship soured and she was let go from the show. Her relationship with CBS still seemed OK when the actress was hired for NCIS, but she left after one season to try her hand at a different kind of role. Which brings us to the present day.
Since the actress left NCIS, she has had a quick role on Blindspot and also appeared in Speed Kills, but she hasn't landed another series regular or starring gig, and seems frustrated with the prospects and opportunities to audition that have been offered to her. We'll have to wait and see what Jennifer Esposito lines up next, but for now we'll let you know if she has more to say on social media.
