Sheryl Lee Ralph mistaken for Whitney Houston

Having been in the business for nearly 50 years, gracing our television and movie screens in shows like “Moesha” and “Abbott Elementary” and films like “The Mighty Quinn” and “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” as well as the stage in the original production of “Dreamgirls,” Sheryl Lee Ralph should be considered a recognizable figure in the entertainment lexicon. And yet, in a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, the Emmy-winning actress claims she has been mistaken for someone else on more than one occasion.

“There was a moment after ‘Dreamgirls’ (on Broadway), when I was getting on a plane, and someone said to me, ‘Hi, Whitney.’ “I’m not Whitney Houston,” she told the passenger. “Time passes, then the next person says, ‘Oh, Mrs. Houston.’ » “I’m not Whitney Houston.” The plane ride goes by, and the flight attendant comes over with a bottle of wine and says, “I just want to tell you how much I adore you, Mrs….” and I say, “I’m not Whitney Houston!” The person backed away and said, “I’m sorry.” Aren’t you Mrs. Sheryl Lee Ralph? I was so embarrassed.

Ironically, Ralph admits in the article that she herself is not very good at putting a name to a face, having often confused Lord of the Rings actor Orlando Bloom and others with famous people she thought they were black.

“For some reason I see people differently from their names,” Ralph said. “I knew for sure that Orlando Bloom was a black man. I knew he was a young black footballer. I knew it. When I saw it, I said to myself, “That’s not Orlando Bloom.” And Darren Star. I knew Darren Star was a young black influencer. I was proud of Darren Star! Then I was at one of these balls, Elton John or Elizabeth Taylor… and someone said to me, “You have to go meet Darren Star.” I said, “Where is he?” They say: “He is there”. ‘Or? He’s an older white man.’

Apparently amused by Ralph’s confusion, the writers of “Abbott Elementary” allowed this trait to carry over to his character, veteran elementary school teacher Barbara Howard. She told the LA Times: “The whole cold open — I think it might have been the third episode — was me, as Barbara Howard, mixing everybody up. Everybody’s wrong and she was so right. So that’s my weirdness: Orlando Bloom is a football player and a black man.”