Mayim Bialik was 'ashamed' by the 1995 'SNL' sketch parodying her with 'a big, fake nose'
Mayim Bialik's "undeniably Jewish" nose has been a recurring theme in her 30-year acting career.
In an essay for Variety, published Wednesday, the 47-year-old reflected on the effects the criticism of her appearance had on her as well as how "the features I inherited from my mixed Eastern European-Ashkenazi" ancestry played a factor in the acting opportunities she received.
"I had little luck landing 'leading' roles but was cast as the quirky friend or nemesis in a lot of sitcoms I appeared in, such as 'Webster' and 'The Facts of Life,'" she wrote. "I'm sure there are many reasons I didn't land a leading role besides my profile, but the truth is that girls with prominent noses were not cast in leading roles in the 1980s."
Mayim Bialik will never forget the TV show review that criticized her nose
Being cast as a younger Bette Midler in the 1988 film "Beaches" catapulted Bialik's career, landing her the lead character in the '90s NBC sitcom, "Blossom." Though the reception was positive, there was one review from a TV critic that stood out to her as a 14-year-old actor.
"An early review of this show in a prominent publication described the lack of 'sense' that my face made to him; the shape of my face confused this critic. He said that my features did not seem to match one another. I was essentially being described as a Frankenstein of a teenager," Bialik wrote. "At the time, I’m not going to tell you it didn’t hurt. Of course it did."
She added, "I never forgot that review and probably never will."
Bialik has contended with her nose since she was 10 years old. "I have not always loved it, but I also have never wanted to change it," she said.
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'SNL' parody of 'Blossom' featured an actor playing Mayim Bialik in 'a fake, big nose'
That wasn't the only time the "Big Bang Theory" star's nose has received undue attention.
As a longtime "SNL" fan, Bialik was "so excited" when she learned that the sketch-comedy show would be parodying "Blossom." That was until she watched it air on Jan. 15, 1994.
"The actress portraying me was dancing and mugging for the camera and she was hilarious. But. She wore a prosthetic nose. In order to truly convey that she was Blossom, she wore a fake, big nose," Bialik recalled. "I don’t know if it was significantly larger than my real nose and I don’t care to remember. I remember that it struck me as odd. And it confused me. No one else on the show was parodied for their features."
In a Season 19 episode of "SNL," with Sara Gilbert as host and Counting Crows as musical guest, cast member Melanie Hutsell played Bialik as Blossom in the sketch, according to IMDB.
"I never thought to talk about it and mostly I tried to forget it. I hoped no one noticed. All of my friends at high school watched 'SNL,'" she said. "It wasn’t subtle. They would all see it and I felt ashamed."
Hollywood has a long history of perpetuating Jewish stereotypes and casting non-Jews in Jewish roles, which experts say propagates stereotypes and is symptomatic of Hollywood's ongoing reckoning with inclusion.
It's a phenomenon some have labeled "Jewface," with celebrities like Sarah Silverman weighing in on the issue in recent years.
"There are so few good roles for Jewish women or roles of any kind for Jewish women," Judy Klass, senior lecturer of Jewish Studies and English at Vanderbilt University, previously told USA TODAY. "And Jewish women are so often stereotyped in ugly ways that when there's a role like a romantic lead, it's such a rare thing that I wish that Jewish women could play it."
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Mayim Bialik: 'My nose is undeniably Jewish, and I am as well'
Now, Bialik describes her nose "as a prominent, somewhat regal, nose in the style of what is called a 'Roman' nose."
Putting aside the negative commentary, Bialik has been an example of representation in media for Jewish girls and women.
"Girls all over the world used to tell me that they had never seen a Jewish girl like me on TV before they saw me on 'Blossom.' Many said they knew I was Jewish and it made them proud to be," Bialik said. "That was so touching to me, and it still is."
She added, "My genetic makeup is mine alone, and also, it is the combination of cultures shoved together after the Holocaust spilled so many of us out on the shores of Ellis Island. My nose is undeniably Jewish, and I am as well."
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Variety hosts its first-ever Hollywood & Antisemitism Summit
Bialik's guest column in Variety was among many published Wednesday, including an essay penned by comedian and podcaster Marc Maron, another by Israeli actor and writer Noa Tishby and actor Beanie Feldstein.
On Wednesday, Variety also hosted its first-ever conference "dedicated to examining the scourge of Antisemitism and how Hollywood can work to combat it through inclusive storytelling, thought leadership, and advocacy," per the outlet.
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Contributing: David Oliver, USA TODAY