A woman who played an extra on HBO's "Lovecraft Country" said the show's makeup artists darkened her skin in the series.
The woman, Kelli Amirah, said she was hired to portray a young Osberta in a wedding photo that was featured in an episode of the show. The character of Osberta was played by the late Carol Sutton, who died in December.
In a series of TikTok videos, Amirah said she was in the trailer for hair and makeup when she heard the makeup artists discussing how she was "a little lighter" than the actress she was portraying.
"The other makeup artist is like, 'Yeah, you're right. but like facial features wise, right here, she's a dead match,'" she said. "So they're just talking around me, not to me. I'm just on my phone chilling. So they start doing my makeup. I'm half watching them do my makeup, halfway on my phone and I notice my foundation is getting darker and darker."
Amirah, who lives in New York City, explained how she has "no clout, no pull, no nothing" and let the makeup artists continue working but said she felt "uncomfortable."
"This job is the first time I've had my own little trailer on set. I'm getting special treatment, sitting in between big leagues," she said. "And my makeup just keeps getting darker and darker."
She said makeup was applied to her hands as well to make them darker.
Amirah didn't mention the name of the TV show in the first video but posted a second TikTok confirming that it was "Lovecraft Country." She said after she was done filming, she took the makeup off because she refused to go "out in the world like that."
The videos were posted in February but recently went viral. HBO said in a statement to NBC News on Tuesday that it was "very disappointed to learn of Ms. Amirah’s experience."
"This should not have happened, and we are taking steps to ensure this doesn’t occur again in the future," the statement said.
Amirah declined a phone interview Tuesday because of a busy schedule but said in a Twitter message that she was hesitant to share her story because of possible repercussions. Some people on social media have criticized her for not speaking up while she was getting her makeup done.
"For a while, I’d felt very powerless to speak up and say anything in the moment. Even as time went on I was still ashamed of my participation in it," she explained.
She said she decided to open up about what happened after seeing a TikToker ask for background actors to share the craziest stories they've experienced on set.
Amirah said she did not know that she was portraying a younger version of Sutton's character until the episode aired in 2020. She said she feels like it was a missed opportunity for a darker-skinned woman to be cast in the role she played and she's glad her videos are opening up a dialogue about "colorism in the entertainment industry."
"I do believe it’s an important conversation to be had, and that situations like this can still cause harm, even if it doesn’t hold the same weight as say a white person donning blackface or 'blackfishing,'" she said. "It still adds to the erasure of and missed opportunities for dark skinned black women."