The actress has an impressive slate, with recurring roles in Days of Our Lives, Boston Public, and The District over the years. She also played Carol Fisher in TV's Shameless for a decade. The Coming to America breakout has moved behind the camera, too, writing and producing on In the Company of Friends and directing episodes of Everything I Did Wrong in My 20s, Saints & Sinners, and BET Her Presents: The Waiting Room, among others. Although Princess Imani was a major moment in her career, Vanessa Bell Calloway revealed in an interview with Page Six that she was actually up for the lead role of Lisa but was deemed too dark-skinned for it.
Calloway admitted, "The real deal is, when you're in a situation like that, you wanna be a part of an Eddie Murphy movie. I wasn't gonna say no! I would've loved to have had the lead part, but I was very happy to be in the movie." She credits a $30 wig with nailing it, telling Page Six separately, "My hair was short at the time, and I know men in Hollywood: They like long hair, so my short hair was not going to be pretty to them. So I ran to the beauty supply store and I got this little cheap wig." It was called the "Imani," letting Calloway know it was meant to be. No word yet on whether the wig makes an appearance in Coming 2 America.
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