Cosby Explained To Carl Payne Why He Was Rejected…
As Carl Payne sat in the waiting area depressed, Cosby sent his assistant back in to take him to his office. Carl was surprised that Cosby wanted to explain why he’d rejected him for the “Theo” role:
“He [Cosby] was like, ‘Listen…you don’t always get a role because of your talent. … ‘I’m putting my family together [The Cosby TV family], so it’s a lot of different factors you know. You could be too dark skinned, you could be too light skinned, you could be [too] short, you could be [too] tall. … I just want you to know that it had nothing to do with your talent why you didn’t get this role. And I don’t want you to be swayed, or disappointed by that because you’re very talented. But I do want you to understand the business aspect of this.'”
Why Cosby’s Encouragement Didn’t Last Long…
“It made a difference that he took the time to tell me that. … So I took that and it lasted the plane ride,” Carl jokingly concluded. “Over the next year…I’m watching ‘The Cosby Show’ blow up and I’m sitting in the projects and I’m like *makes a frustrated facial expression.*”
After More Rejections He Finally Landed “Cockroach” Role…
“They kept having auditions for different roles, like ‘the boyfriend,’ or whatever…and I would go in each time. … For the last audition, I was just like, ‘Yo if they say ‘no’ again, I’m never coming in auditioning for this show again. … Don’t call me back, I can’t take it.’ And it just so happened to work out.”
