Blair Underwood Talks 'LongLegs' and Turning Down 'Sex and The City' Role Over Show's Depiction of Black Men
Blair Underwood discusses his venture into horror and reflects on the memorable role he initially turned down.
The Hollywood veteran stars alongside Nicholas Cage and Maika Monroe in the new horror film “Longlegs,” where he plays FBI Agent Carter, your average by-the-books character. The film follows a young female FBI agent who uncovers a series of previously unsolvable murders.
In a recent conversation with the AV Club, Underwood expressed his enthusiasm for finally delving into the horror genre, saying, “I’ve never really done a horror film.” He added, “I mean, I’ve done psychological thrillers. There was ‘Just Cause’ with Sean Connery and ‘Asunder,’ but this is a different, darker genre, which was fun to be a part of.”
Over his four-decade career, Underwood has made notable appearances in iconic films and TV shows, including the 1985 musical film “Krush Groove,” “Set It Off,” the legal drama “L.A. Law,” “The Cosby Show,” and “Sex and the City.” The 59-year-old star revealed that he initially declined a role in Sex and the City due to concerns about the show’s portrayal of Black men.
Underwood played Dr. Robert Leeds, Miranda's love interest, from 2003 to 2004 on the hit HBO series. He admitted, “I had never watched it before. I knew it was a big hit, but I’d never watched it… and I actually did say ‘no’ the first time.”
He explained, “The first time they had offered the role, to be honest with you, it was about how Samantha (Kim Cattrall) was fascinated by dating a Black man and wanted to know if, uh, all of the rumors were true about our anatomy! And I said, ‘Listen, I’m honored, thank you, but I just don’t want to play a character based on race, on curiosity about a Black man.’”
Underwood noted that about a year later, the show executives reached out again, and he asked, “‘Well, is it gonna be about race?’ And they said, ‘No, no, no, we’re not even gonna mention race!’” He observed, “And I think it really did only come up maybe once. It did five episodes, and I think Samantha mentioned it once, saying something about a Black doctor that Miranda was dating.”
He added, “And that’s really been a consistent thing in my career: not wanting to be boxed as ‘the Black guy.’”
“Longlegs” is currently out in theaters.
