Vanessa Bell Calloway is a queen. She is unproblematic, ages like the best of wine (she's 67, whaaaaat!?), and is a gem to the culture. When she speaks up with that very distinguishable voice, we don't question. We just shut up and listen. Mostly because we've all basically grown up with her.
From What's Love Got to Do with It, all the way to Shameless, sis has been a household staple in many television shows and movies since I can remember--with one of her most notable, being her portrayal of Imani Izzi in the original production of Coming to America. Although small, her role was one of the most memorable, as even today, we're still hopping on one leg and barking like a dog a whole 33 years later. 33 years! *Randy Watson stomps*
But listen, as it turns out, Calloway originally auditioned for the role of Lisa McDowell.
coming to america veil GIFGiphyShe recently disclosed to PageSix that says she auditioned for the lead female role of Lisa (eventually played by Shari Headley), and believes her complexion played a role in not getting the part.
"When you have white people hiring black people in movies, sometimes a certain look is wanted. I just wasn't light enough, even though Eddie had the final say on who played Lisa. [But] I didn't want the part of Imani, I wanted to be Lisa — I had read the script and I wanted the bigger role."
She continued:
"That's something that we've always dealt with within our race: A lot of men were indoctrinated by having a white woman or light-skinned woman on their arm."
Well, tell us how you feel then, auntie!
DFree / Shutterstock.com
And according to the star, after much back and forth, her instincts led her to believe that the casting team "wanted a light-skinned girl," especially once production asked her to read for the part of Imani.
"At that point, I knew I was not going to get Lisa. So I went outside in the hallway, looked over the part with five minutes of preparation, went back in, and did the best I could."
Coming to America still
But don't misconstrue, Calloway is by no means bitter about their ultimate decision, she's just shedding more light on a very real issue. And she believes that despite her experience with colorism, the opportunity outweighed her emotions and she ultimately accepted.
"The real deal is, when you're in a situation like that, you wanna be a part of an Eddie Murphy movie. I wasn't gonna say no! I would've loved to have had the lead part, but I was very happy to be in the movie. I can't lie about that. I said, 'I'll make the best out of this and I'll be the best.' It was a smaller role but it was a glamorous part to play. And Shari did a great job."
Which turned out to be a great decision because the role's influence has proven to be legendary to black culture.
Coming to America still
Celebrities have rocked their best costumes as an ode to the role, with mega-spawn, Blue Ivy, famously dressing as the royal character in 2015. Blue Ivy! *Randy Watson stomps*
Danai Gurira attended Lupita Nyong'o's 2017 Coming to America-themed birthday party dressed as Imani as well.
--
Calloway has been tapped to make an appearance in the sequel to the cult classic, which I'm sure will be just as scene-stealing as the original. The movie premieres on March 5 on Amazon Prime.
*hops on one leg and barks like a big dog*
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Featured image via DFree / Shutterstock.com
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Shaina, who has held roles at companies including ESPN and the NBA and has taught strategic sports marketing at esteemed institutions like Georgetown University, officially launched the network as a business in 2019. Since then, it’s hosted high-impact events like the Toast to Black Sports luncheon during Super Bowl weekend and built student chapters at both HBCUs and PWIs to pipeline underrepresented talent into the industry.
She shared with xoNecole more on the early days of launch, the turning point that made her realize she had a platform with real influence, and what keeps her going. With 17 years of experience across agencies, teams, and networks, Shaina is proof that grassroots efforts can turn into transformative change—especially when backed by passion, vision, and community.
xoNecole: How did the Minorities In Sports Business Network come to life?
Shaina Wiel: So, I just started the group chat and added a few of my friends who work in the industry as well. We were all kind of in New York at the same time working in the sports space… Very quickly over the next few years, the chat grew to over 800 individuals within the chat. Then, we had over 1000 individuals.
xoN: What was your ‘aha’ moment to expand?
SW: I noticed a bunch of employees from the Big Four leagues— NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB— within my group chat had all started posting roles. And when I asked, 'What is going on? Why are there so many posting jobs within the group chat?' I was told that HR had sent a note to their Black Employee Resource Group and had told them they had heard about this group chat.
That's when I realized, ‘Okay, this is more than, you know, my little friend group chat. Let's see if we can turn this into an actual business. And then in summer, 2019 I decided to do this full time.
Brittany Dacoff
xoN: What was the transition like growing the group chat into a full platform offering membership perks like access to job listings, networking opportunities and more?
SW: I was working at an agency, and the agency had lost their account. It was the account that I was working on. So they were like, you know, we can try to find another or we can separate. I decided to leave. And then, as we know, COVID happened, which actually was a blessing in disguise.
I was able to really focus on building the vision with this group chat and turning it into an actual company, seeing what works, seeing things from an events and a relationship standpoint, in terms of like, how we were interacting with different partners from different companies, and actually turning that into something substantial that could last.
xoN: Speaking of events, talk more about what inspired the Toast to Black Sports event you held earlier this year during the Super Bowl. Why is it important?
SW: This was the second year. There are so many dope people of color, specifically Black people, who work in this industry who are just doing the work behind the scenes. They’re not getting their flowers. I took it upon myself to say, I want to celebrate you. We’ve honored Kimberly Fields, Esq. of the NFL, Kevin Warren, CEO of the Chicago Bears, sports executive Jason Wright, sports and entertainment vet Carmen Green-Wilson, and NFL coach Jennifer King—all of whom have made major contributions to the industry.
xoN: What do you enjoy most about your role today?
SW: I think the work that I enjoy the most, honestly, is with our college students. We have 12 chapters across different colleges and universities. We help eliminate some of the barriers a lot of us had coming out of college. What I love seeing is that we have students who are now looking at roles they never even thought of.
xoN: What’s a bit of career advice for women breaking into the sports industry?
SW: I would say, build relationships. That’s really it: Build authentic relationships. Make sure it's a give and take and that you're supporting other people because once you're building those relationships, then it's a lot easier to either get into a space or to have those conversations when you want to do something.
And always be willing and ready to do the work.
Featured image by Hosea Johnson