Amandla Stenberg says her fans have no problem believing her straight roles
Amandla Stenberg
The 20-year-old 'The Hate U Give' actress came out as gay this summer but she's adamant her openness about her homosexuality has had no impact on how people interpret her work or the parts she is up for.
Speaking to The Times newspaper, she said: "So far, it doesn't seem challenging at all for people to conceptualise me as a hetereo. I actually think it's more challenging for people to conceptualise me as gay. Like, 'You looked so straight in that movie!' You looked super straight."
Amandla revealed that since she has come out as a lesbian, no one has suggested that she would no longer be able to play straight roles convincingly as the Hollywood cliché would dictate.
She said: "I don't know if anyone around me felt that way. But even if they did, they probably wouldn't express it to me because they know that I wouldn't want to hear it. Also, I just want to be happy in my life, and if my career doesn't allow room for that, then it's not the right career for me."
The outspoken actress - who is of African American and Dutch descent - is also keen to promote racial diversity in Hollywood and revealed that she was thrilled when she nabbed the role of Rue in 'The Hunger Games' because she related to the novels so much as a child.
She said: "I really wanted that part because the book meant so much to me, because a character my age was described as having 'satiny brown skin.' And as a 12-year-old, there aren't many depictions of black girls out there."
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