HBO responds after Lovecraft Country extra claims her skin was darkened for appearance on the show

HBO has responded after an extra on the series Lovecraft Country claimed a makeup artist darkened her skin tone before appearing on the show.

The US TV network told The Hollywood Reporter it was “very disappointed” to learn of the claims, made by Kelli Amirah, and was “taking steps to ensure this doesn’t occur again in the future”.

Lovecraft Country follows the story of Atticus “Tic” Freeman, a young Black man in Jim Crow-era America who discovers a town full of sinister secrets while searching for his father.

Amirah posted a video to social media site TikTok, in which she said she was cast to play a younger version of a character in a photo for a scene in Lovecraft Country’s first season. While on set, Amirah was given her own trailer.

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She claimed that she overheard the show’s makeup artists saying she appeared “a little lighter” than the actor she was hired to mimic.

“I noticed my foundation is getting darker and darker,” she said, noting that she was “so uncomfortable” as makeup artists applied the foundation. In the video, she then showed photos of herself she took while in character.

“I had no idea they were going to do this to me beforehand. And if I knew beforehand, I would not have accepted this job. Who thought this was a good idea?” she said.

In another video, she also said: “As soon as we wrapped I went right back to hair and makeup to ask for some makeup wipes because I refused to go out in the world like that.”

The TikTok video was shared in February, but has gone viral over the last few days, prompting the response from HBO.

In a thread on Twitter, Amirah also wrote that she had heard “no mention” of being “too light” when she was hired for the role.

“I thought ‘maybe they just meant a couple shades,’” she wrote. “I’m sure it won’t be much more than a tan. And then they just kept painting me darker.”

“So here I am, in the makeup trailer of a major network production with the lead stars of the show, and they’re putting me in blackface.”

In its statement to THR, HBO said: “This should not have happened, and we are taking steps to ensure this doesn’t occur again in the future.”

In the UK, Lovecraft Country airs on Sky Atlantic.