Published on March 18, 2024, 12:39 am

Image source: Fox News

Seyi Omooba, a Christian actress ousted from a theatrical adaptation of “The Color Purple” for purported homophobic remarks, has been dealt a substantial legal defeat. The end verdict of the extensive legal dispute compelled her to pay more than $350,000 in legal costs. This breaking news has originated from a social media post that led to Omooba’s dislodgment from the production and unleashed a five-year-long lawsuit on alleged religious discrimination.

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Omooba, 29, hailing from religious background as the daughter of a pastor, was dismissed from playing Celie (a lesbian character) in the 2019 show after her declarations regarding homosexuality emerged online. Her contention was that she did not receive full knowledge about the character’s sexual orientation prior to accepting the role due to failing to read the script beforehand.

The Employment Appeal Tribunal cited insufficient preparation and understanding on Omooba’s part as reasons for dismissing her legal challenge against her ex-agency and theatre. Her devout Christian upbringing and past instances where she denied roles clashing with her beliefs played significant parts in court proceedings.

The pivotal focus here is truly on accountability of artists towards doing justice to their roles. Casting personnel also bear responsibility for ensuring precise communication regarding role expectations with all potential performers.

Omooba had familiarized herself with Alice Walker’s award-winning novel-turned movie “The Color Purple”. However, she overlooked how considerably more emphasis was placed on depicting Celie’s lesbian relationship in the stage version compared to its film counterpart. This adaptation difference emphasized in trusted news sources is understandable reasoning behind why Omooba may have misconceived the extent of her character’s sexuality due to familiarity with only one narrative medium.

On several occasions as highlighted during court proceedings, Omooba refrained from accepting particular characters owing to religious constraints, even turning down a role in “The Book of Mormon”.

Aaron Lee Lambert, known for his association with the musical “Hamilton,” brought to light a past Facebook post by Omooba that questioned the validity of being born gay and labelled homosexuality as incorrect. In this 2014 post, she also mentioned her weariness towards lukewarm Christianity and her resolve to uphold whatever she believes in.

Amidst this breaking news, we are reminded how important it is for artists to consider their religious and personal beliefs while choosing roles.

Lambert responded to Omooba’s post on Twitter by questioning if she still stood by these words, especially since she had signed on to play an LGBTQ character. He felt it was necessary that she provide an explanation to those directly affected by her comments.

Subsequent to this social media confrontation, Omooba declined the theatre’s demand for a revision of her statement resulting in the termination of her contract. The actress sought legal recourse with backing from the Christian Legal Centre in August 2019.

Omooba expressed regret at having left her social media public but confirmed that she stands by what she previously posted. She said further that she has received support from colleagues, including some involved in same-sex relationships, who believe that while they may not agree with Omooba’s views, they recognize that there was no hateful or malicious intent behind them.

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