Acura -- We're Sorry We Excluded Dark-Skinned Blacks
Acura We're So Sorry We Excluded Dark-Skinned Blacks
Acura has issued a full-on apology ... after we ran a story that the car company's ad people sought an African American actor to play a car dealer who was "not too dark."
The commercial -- which featured Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno and ran during the Super Bowl -- was cast by an agency that sent out a casting sheet, looking for a "nice looking, friendly, not too dark" African American actor to play the role of dealer.
Acura just issued this statement: "We apologize to anyone offended by the language on the casting sheet used in the selection of actors for one of our commercials."
The car company added, "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."
As for the language "not too dark," Acura says, "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."
