Leslie Jones, SNL And Hollywood's Typecasting Issue

Typecasting in Hollywood is a tricky slope to steer, particularly because it can happen to anyone. During the Oscars press run earlier this year for example, nominated actress Kate Hudson openly spoke out about previously being pigeonholed into a steady flow of rom-coms; Star Wars lead Mark Hamill told a similar story to The Hollywood Reporter last September of how his long-lasting shift into voice acting was actually influenced by the industry’s failure to see him beyond his portrayal of Luke Skywalker.

However, while a stifled career can be problematic in itself, it’s a whole different ball game when typecasting starts coming down to race. The recent admission by comedienne actress Leslie Jones regarding her time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live is a perfect example of an issue that Black entertainers have been battling for years and still are to this day.

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Jones, who was a standout on SNL from 2014 until her exit in 2019, spoke candidly with podcaster Sam Sanders (seen above) about her feelings of being portrayed as an exaggerated caricature of herself, in her words stating, “It was kind of frustrating that they would always make me the girl that was angry and beating up people, or in love with a white boy,” going on to add, “I wanted to be on the show and, at the time, I didn’t think that was what was happening ‘til it kept happening. And then I was like, every time I would get a sketch, I was like, ‘OK, who am I beating up this week?’”

Even though we always love seeing Samuel L. Jackson as the habitual F-bomb dropper, Dwayne Johnson bringing out The Rock in every single role or Lynn Whitfield playing a rich cougar, the lines begin to blur when you start noticing who’s ritually casted as the thug, the gang member, the loud, the rambunctious and, in Leslie’s experience on SNL, the angry one.

See what social media had to say about Leslie Jones feeling typecasted on SNL, and let us know your take on the subject:

1. I’m confused b/c b4 SNL, she portrayed that image regularly when I saw her stand-up act. 🤔

via @Tofali

2. I’m proud of her for being honest.

via @KanariKira

3. Leslie Jones typecast herself as the Angry Black Woman and maybe the writers felt they were playing to her strengths to get her on TV. Also, the cast gets to pitch ideas for sketches. Pitch your own characters if you’re so talented.

4. … Like in Ghostbusters?

via @boe_dye

5. What a narcissist. Chris Farley was always the fat dim witted guy and he never openly complained

via @FordFactory

6. So because he didn’t complain, its all good?

via @JonathanIsaiah2

7. That frustration makes sense. Leslie Jones had more range than that role ever showed.

via @EricN250

8. All she did was yell. In movies, in interviews. Confronting SNL writers? People need to take a hard look at themselves.

via @mistercecil

9. I have no memory of her being angry on snl? Hmm

via @NeeNeeNichelle

10. I do. It was ALOT and they almost always had her with a white love interest.. They always had her hollerin and bullyin..

via @KanariKira