The actress believes she is a better artist when she is able to speak out about things she finds important.
- Jul 9, 2018
AceShowbiz - Actress Alexandra Shipp has vowed never to censor herself even if it means risking her career.
The Straight Outta Compton star believes actresses need to be more vocal about their opinions and insists she is a better artist when she is able to speak out about things she finds important.
"I get pushback for things I say on social media..., but I hope to never censor the things that come out of my mouth," she tells Glamour magazine. "Male actors have always been able to be way more opinionated when it comes to politics. As actresses, we only get to do things like help the hungry children...
"I think people should speak their truth... I'm exactly who I want to be every single day. I know it might be my demise - I'll check back in with you in a couple years and see how it's working out - but I'm my own artist, and you can't be a great artist without having a huge opinion."
Alexandra's opinionated approach also applies to her career. The 26-year-old received criticism when she was cast in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse as Storm, with many comic book fans claiming her skin colour was too light to portray the black character, but for Shipp, her complexion played no part in her accepting the role. Instead, having the chance to step into the superhero role fulfilled a childhood dream for Alexandra.
"(I tweeted back) at people who criticised me for not having dark enough skin for my role in X-Men because we're not going to have this conversation about a cartoon character...," she says. "Growing up, when I was reading the comics, I pictured her looking like me. For any black girl, for there to be a black superhero, we picture them looking like us. So when I auditioned for the role, I wasn't like, 'Oh man, I'm not dark enough.' I was like, 'Finally, this is my moment...'"
