When photos of Julianne Hough donning blackface at a Halloween party on Oct. 25 hit the net, backlash was swift, and even "Orange is the New Black" cast member Laverne Cox spoke out against the 25-year-old's decision to darken her skin for her "Crazy Eyes" costume. It turns out that Hough's friend, Isla Fisher, even warned her not to do it.
According to an Us Weekly source, the "Great Gatsby" actress "was mortified" to see Hough dressed not simply wearing an orange jumpsuit and knotted hairstyle, but blackface as well, the star having darkened everything but her blonde hair (which she appeared to have sprayed lightly) in order to emulate Crazy Eyes, played by Uzo Aduba on the Netflix original series.
While Aduba did not publicly comment on the costume scandal, Cox told Entertainment Weekly that while she is "not opposed to someone having their form of expression" and wasn't personally offended by the costume, Hough "she seemed to be completely unaware of the historical implications going in, and I think that's problematic." Hough did offer an apology to her Twitter followers, insisting that she never meant to offend anyone, but according to the Us Weekly insider, Fisher advised Hough that night to "to go the bathroom and wipe her face off," the source adding that "Isla hoped she got to Julianne before photos were taken."
Fisher's rep has denied that the 37-year-old actress tried to intervene, though many on Twitter were left wondering why no one else in her group had thought to tell Hough that her costume was offensive that night.
"I am a huge fan of the show 'Orange Is the New Black', actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created," Hough tweeted on Oct. 26. "It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize."
