Gabourey Sidibe Talks Life Before ‘Precious’ As A Phone-Sex Operator, Says World Is ‘Trained’ To Hate Blackness

Sidibe got real about navigating anti-Blackness while pursing her acting career.

Gabourey Sidibe lived an entirely different life before taking on her Oscar-nominated role in “Precious.” In the documentary Number One on the Call Sheet, the actress describes the anti-Blackness she endured while working as a phone sex operator.

The two-part documentary, which focuses on the plight of Black actors in Hollywood, featured Sidibe as she detailed her tumultuous journey to stardom. Although the Oscar nominee gained fame for the 2009 drama, she worked odd jobs before her big break in entertainment. According to People, she recalled her story in the feature’s second episode titled “Black Leading Women in Hollywood.”

“I got the role of Precious when I was 24,” explained Sidibe. “And before that, I was just acting in between whatever it was the rest of my life. And the rest of my life at that point, I was working at a call center as a phone sex operator. FYI, the company was mostly Black women. You’re not at all allowed to be Black on the phone.”

She had to use a “Valley Girl” accent to entertain callers, although clients rarely used the Black girl hotline.

“There’s a Black girl line. Guess what — was barely ever called, that one,” she revealed. So my girl name is Melody. And every call, I’d be like [in a high-pitched, Valley Girl voice], ‘Hello.’ And he’s like, ‘Hey, what’s your name?’ ‘Hi, I’m Melody.’ ‘How you doin’? Are you good?’ ‘Yeah, I’m totally good right now. Um, I just got home from school. I’m in college, and it’s, like, my sophomore year…’ “

She said the job encouraged self-hatred of one’s Blackness. However, Sidibe refused to give in to the racist ideology, which later helped her in her starring role.

“We are trained to hate ourselves,” Sidibe added. “And the world around us is also trained to reinforce it. But there’s something in me that’s like, ‘I don’t bend to that.’ Whatever it is that you don’t like about me, I’ll do it harder, and I’ll smile in your face. And that’s what I felt Precious needed to be.”

While Sidibe went on to pursue more projects in Hollywood, such as supporting roles in Empire and American Horror Story, she still remembered the anti-Blackness felt from her prior experience. However, Sidibe’s professional and personal life has shined since her former occupation. She married talent manager Brandon Frankel in 2021. The couple has two children, a girl and a boy twins, who were born last June.

Her stories and those of others from Black actresses like Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, and more can be seen on Number One on the Call Sheet. The documentary is streaming now on Apple TV+.

RELATED CONTENT: Gabourey Sidibe Inks Memoir Deal