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"You can't do everything, and every opportunity isn't for you."
Nia Long is setting the record straight ... again.
The 52-year-old star once more dispelled long-standing rumors she turned down a role in the 2000 adaptation of "Charlie's Angels" in order to star in Martin Lawrence's "Big Momma's House" the same year.
In a recent interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Long called the claims "the biggest fattest lie" and recalled how she was told she looked "too sophisticated and too old" for the part next to Drew Barrymore -- one of the film's main stars.
"Charlie's Angels did not want me because they said I looked too sophisticated and too old next to Drew Barrymore," she said before commending Lucy Liu, who inevitably snagged the role of her would-be character, Alex Munday. Barrymore is four years younger than Long and Liu is two years older.
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View Story"I thought Lucy Liu was great in that role. When I went back and looked at it, I was like, 'Whoa, she's really doing some stunts.' I don't know if I was quite ready for that," Long confessed. "I don't, you can't do everything, and every opportunity isn't for you. And as much as it would've been fun to play that character, I think 'Big Momma's House' was probably more fun for me."
This isn't the first time the "Fatal Affair" actress has opened up about her experience auditioning for the iconic film. In an interview with Insider back in 2020, Long admitted she didn't buy the feedback her agent received from the "Charlie's Angels" team.
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View Story"I was like, "What?" she recalled at the time. "I love Drew Barrymore, I think she's amazing, but I think that was just a nice way to say you're a little too Black. Personally, that's what I think. Because if you notice there were no brown skin [actors]. I mean, honestly, I would have been the blackest thing in the film."
"The feedback that I received from my agent was, 'She just looked too old and sophisticated to be next to Drew Barrymore,'" Long continued. "And I'm thinking to myself, it's an actor's choice to walk in the room how they want to look, but it's a director's vision to help create and curate a character.”
She added, "So if you couldn't see beyond the fact that I had on a blazer and a pair of jeans then that was clearly not the job and opportunity for me. So, no problem, I'll keep it moving."
