A casting document from Japanese car company Acura has leaked. It explicitly states that they sought a “nice looking, friendly, not too dark” African-American to play a car dealer alongside comedian Jerry Seinfeld in the their Super Bowl commercial, which aired earlier this year.
According to TMZ, they attained a copy of the document from a “pissed” black actor who didn’t fit the profile.
WATCH JERRY SEINFELD IN ACURA COMMERCIAL:
Someone associated with casting the popular commercial told TMZ that one of the reasons they requested a “not too dark” African-American was because lighting and special effects would get tricky otherwise.
TMZ claims Acura failed to return their calls for comment.
UPDATE
Acura has just issued a statement addressing the language in their casting call for actors in this commercial:
We apologize to anyone offended by the language on the casting sheet used in the selection of actors for one of our commercials.
We sought to cast an African-American in a prominent role in the commercial, and we made our selection based on the fact that he was the most talented actor.
The casting sheet was only now brought to our attention. We are taking appropriate measures to ensure that such language is not used again in association with any work performed on behalf of our brand.
Follow Briana Lopes on Twitter at @briananikohl
