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Comedian Nicole Byer on 'acting while black'

Nicole Byer has received all your notes about how she should look and act and be in the world — and she's spun them all into a new sitcom called Loosely Exactly Nicole.
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Nicole Byer has received all your notes about how she should look and act and be in the world — and she's spun them all into a new sitcom called Loosely Exactly Nicole. (MTV Press)
Q19:03Comedian Nicole Byer on 'acting while black'

"Be more urban." 
"Have more edge." 

This is the type of advice Nicole Byer hears at auditions. 

Never mind that as an actress, she's a proven talent on the rise. Or, that she's a stand-out at the Upright Citizens Brigade. And a favourite on some of MTV's newest shows. 

Still some casting directors bluntly urge Byer to be more hood, more sassy — more "black."

"How weird, they just say it," the actress tells guest host Piya Chattopadhyay. Her vibrant personality and razor sharp humour are apparent, but she still has to remind people that she, like anyone, is complicated. 

"I'm not sassy all day every day. I have levels and feelings." 

Byer shares just how much real world nonsense she's funnelled into her new sitcom, Loosely Exactly Nicole, why she dreams of playing Ursula the sea witch, and her advice for anyone who disapproves of how she looks or acts or exists in the world.

"You can go home or take a nap or close your eyes." 

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