"Bridgerton" Star Adjoa Andoh Spoke About How Black Actors Still Aren't Lit Properly While Making The Show

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Adjoa Andoh spoke about the ongoing failures of movie and TV sets — including Bridgerton — to light Black skin properly.

Adjoa Andoh dressed in an elaborate period costume sits at a table with chess pieces in a grand room, appearing thoughtful

The actor has played Lady Danbury in all three seasons of Bridgerton and its spinoff, Queen Charlotte. She has a lengthy history in theatre and has appeared in movies like Invictus and Brotherhood.

Adjoa Andoh stands on a floral-decorated backdrop at a Wimbledon event, wearing a stylish white dress with unique cutout details on the sleeves

In an interview on the Stirring it Up podcast published Jul. 17, Adjoa was asked whether or not she feels "powerful" in her career — to which she replied, "No."

Angela Bassett wears a sleeveless, ruffled black gown and a wide-brimmed hat on the red carpet

Adjoa explained, "The continuing conversation about lighting Black skin, on every show, nothing's changed. They’re getting better, so I suppose I feel powerful in that I will now go, ‘Am I blonde?’"

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte stands elegantly in a regal attire, speaking to an unseen character in a scene from the TV series "Bridgerton"

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"I hate doing it because a bit of me's like, 'I don't want to do it, I don't want to make a fuss,'" she continued. "I want to stay in character. I just want to come on and be Lady Danbury and do what she’s got to do and be totally engaged with that.”

Adjoa Andoh in a period costume sits and gestures expressively in a room with historical decor, in a scene from a TV show or movie

“This is a big thing for me. When people say we’re chippy or we’re being militant or we’re all that stuff, what I want to say is, ‘I’m just a human being and I just want to do the gift that I’m blessed with. I want to do it in a free way, like I see many other people do it.' I'm not asking for any special revelation," she continued.

Adjoa Andoh strikes a confident pose in an elegant, sleeveless outfit with statement jewelry at a press event for "Bridgerton."

On considering racial bias when auditioning for roles, she added, "It's very tiring, it's very distracting, that's not my shit. I don't want to think about it. I just want to get the job because I'm great, or not get the job because I'm shit."

Adjoa Andoh dressed in period clothing, holding a teacup, likely from a scene in a historical drama

The history of racial bias in photography and videography is long. As Anita Bhagwandas notes in her book Ugly, film would be "sent to a lab to be developed and a photo of a white woman with brown hair called Shirley — marked 'normal' — was used as the control for how colors should be adjusted." It wasn't until complaints from furniture and chocolate companies in the '70s over how their shades of brown were depicted that this standard slowly began to change.

A behind-the-scenes photo shows a camera filming a vibrant, neon-lit street scene with people walking in the background

Even with the help of AI and digital cameras, bias still continues. “Exposure systems on cameras have always been weighted towards providing a pleasing exposure with lighter skin tones," professional photographer Nigel Atherton told Wired. "Modern digital cameras and phones using AI are more sophisticated, but I find they still can't entirely be trusted when photographing darker-skinned subjects.” Throw in the lack of representation when teaching people how to light subjects, and the problem very much persists.

Adjoa Andoh, Claudia Jessie, and Ruth Gemmell in elegant period dresses at a formal gathering from the TV show "Bridgerton"

You can listen to the full interview with Adjoa here.

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