NBA legend Dwyane Wade‘s wife and Hollywood star Gabrielle Union has always been very vocal about her opinions. Over the years, Union has opened up about some of her toughest experiences. Notably, a few weeks back, she revealed a traumatic event when she was assaulted at gunpoint at 19 years old. She also talked about healing the wounds of the horrific incident. Recently, she disclosed that she was shockingly rejected for a role because of her looks.

The entertainment industry is one of the hardest to make a name for oneself. Gabrielle has climbed her way up in the industry with her sheer resilience and hard work. However, it was not without its own struggles and rejections.

Gabrielle Union opened up about the shocking incident

Union recently celebrated her birthday. As she turned 51, Netflix’s Strong Black Lead shared a video clip of hers on their Instagram handle. The clip was from an interview that was released a few months ago. During the interview, the actress talked about a variety of interesting topics about her career and life.

In one instance, she opened up about the hard-to-digest rejection. It was a hard pill to swallow because she was turned down for a role because the competing actor was “prettier” than her. She recounted that it was for a huge role and after multiple rounds of tests, she and another actor were in the running for it.

Gabrielle stated, “Years ago, I was up for a big job and after numerous callbacks and studio tests, it was down to just two of us. I was told I didn’t get the part because ‘She’s just prettier than you’.”

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“And someone with low self-esteem, it felt like there was no place for me, for my kind of blackness. It pretty much killed that confident pep in my step, and I was equating my looks to my ability to do the job,” confessed the actress.

Gabrielle noted that while some rejections feel like lessons, some feel like it is a “projection of someone else’s challenges“. She made it clear that she can’t be around people like that and said that she only wants to be in places where she is wanted and valued. Thankfully, she has Dwyane Wade for that.

Dwyane Wade silences rumors

There have been break-up rumors about Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union’s relationship recently.

Wade put an end to all the rumors with a heartfelt message on his wife’s birthday. The Miami Heat legend posted multiple pictures and video clips of his wife and family and penned his birthday message.

Fans loved Wade’s special post to Gabrielle and shared their excitement in the comment section.

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