Bend It Like Beckham star Parminder Nagra says an unnamed hit US TV show turned her down as they 'already had an Indian person' in the cast.
The 45-year-old British-Asian actress, who shot to fame in 2002 after appearing in the comedy film and later in medical drama ER, revealed on the Celebrity Catch Up podcast that she heard producers say "too many brown people" would not sell.
The TV star, who currently lives in celeb hotspot Los Angeles, said: "We're having the conversations happening more and more and things have moved on.
"My fear is that - which I think was happening a few years ago - it became about, 'Oh well let's get this box ticked'.
"I remember asking to go for a job because an actress basically left - it was a well-known TV show here. I remember phoning my agent and I went, 'Do you think maybe you could just suggest me? The character is very non-specific in terms of family and between 35 and 40 [years of age]."
She added: "And the word that came back was that they've already got an Indian person on the cast.
"I went, 'Yeah but I'm completely different to that person'. Is that ever gonna happen when you say that, 'No we've already got a white person on the show'?
"I don't think that conversation is happening - so it's just very hard."
Parminder also touched on the fact that she wasn't featured beside Bend It Like Beckham co-star Keira Knightly on the front cover of a magazine during promotion for the film, as bosses refused to put her on its cover because of the colour of her skin.
She said: "I've been in rooms where people have gone, 'Oh that's not going to sell because there's just too many brown people in it', and you go, 'Oh. OK'."
"Do you keep pounding? There's moments where you get tired and then there's people that do keep doing that and then they break another glass ceiling.
"You've got Riz Ahmed and Priyanka Chopra - they've got deals with networks and stuff like that, and so things have moved on.
"But, yeah, that was a story for the books and there was lots of little stories like that."
The star further told the podcast how she has experienced "annoying", "tiring" and "odd" moments like that throughout her career.
However Parminder was 'optimistic' things would change.
The Mirror has contacted Parminder's representative for comment.
*Intergalactic airs on Sky One at 9pm and is available as a box set on NOW, Friday 30th April
