Christian, 26, sues for £128,000 over sacking from The Colour Purple after ‘homophobic’ post

A devout Christian actress is suing a theatre and her agents for £128,000 after she was dropped following an alleged homophobic post on Facebook.

Seyi Omooba, 25, is claiming claiming religious discrimination and a breach of contract against the Leicester Curve Theatre and her former managers Global Artists Agency.

She was appealing virtually at a Central London Employment Tribunal represented by the Christian Legal Centre. 

It follows her firing from the adaptation of the Alice Walker novel, The Colour Purple, just a day after she was cast as the lead character of Celie in 2019.

It came after another actor challenged her over a 2014 Facebook post where she said she ‘did not believe homosexuality is right’.

Hamilton star Aaron Lee Lambert messaged her ‘Seeing as you’ve now been announced to be playing an LGBTQ character, I think you owe your LGBTQ peers an explanation. Immediately.’

But lawyers acting for Ms Omooba told the tribunal today the sexuality of Celie, who is often read as having a lesbian relationship, is ambiguous and open to interpretation.

Miss Omooba is claiming discrimination and breach of contract over her sudden sacking 

And today it emerged that Ms Omooba had previously told her agents she would refuse to play a gay character.

Her lawyers say she did not understand Celie to be a lesbian, that the character’s sexuality was ambiguous, and that Ms Omooba was not explicitly told she would have to play a gay role.

Her representative, Pavel Stroilov, said: ‘The best known interpretation is the film by Steven Spielberg.

‘In the film the lesbian theme is not present at all, there is one kiss between the female characters which can be interpreted in all sorts of ways.

‘It is in no way obvious and was never made clear to claimant that she was expected to play a lesbian character. She was never asked explicitly to play this character as a lesbian.

‘It’s, with respect, absurd to suggest it’s for an employee, an actor, to go and inquire with an employer whether or not they interpret this play differently from Steven Spielberg.’

Actor Aaron Lee Lambert, a Hamilton star, shared a Facebook post she wrote seven years ago

Actor Aaron Lee Lambert, a Hamilton star, shared a Facebook post she wrote seven years ago

Mr Lambert put the post on Twitter and tagged her in to challenger her over her remarks

Mr Lambert put the post on Twitter and tagged her in to challenger her over her remarks

Tom Coghlin QC, for the Leicester Theatre Trust, suggested Ms Omooba’s position amounted to ‘repudiatory breach of contract’ and meant her dismissal was not ‘unwanted conduct’.

He told the hearing: ‘The role that she complains about being dismissed from is one that she would have refused to play in any event.

‘Her choice was to resign or be dismissed and she chose to be dismissed.

‘We say quite simply that the claimant took the role of Celie when she knew or should have realised there was at least a significant likelihood that she would refuse to play that role.

‘She didn’t check with the responders or director whether Celie would be interpreted in the usually understood, way which was as a gay character.

‘The musical is not the film, they are different works with a common source, which is the novel.’

The Colour Purple is a Pulitzer prize-winning novel written by Alice Walker in 1982.

Ms Omooba’s scandal exploded after alleged ‘homophobic’ comments she made in 2014 resurfaced

Actor Aaron Lee Lambert, who stars in the West End production of Hamilton, shared the Facebook post she wrote seven years ago. 

Devout Christian Omooba quoted the Bible and said she did ‘not believe homosexuality is right’.

Miss Omooba had been announced for the role of Celia on March 14, 2019.

That same day she went with her father Pastor Ade Omooba, an eminent international Christian campaigner and Christian Concern’s co-founder, to Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE.

But the next day Mr Lambert, who does not know her, discovered her social media posting from five years earlier and put it on Twitter, tagging her in.

He had particularly objected to her views because the character of Celie is seen by some readers as being gay.

He asked in his tweet: ‘Do you still stand by this post? Or are you happy to remain a hypocrite? Seeing as you’ve now been announced to be playing an LGBTQ character, I think you owe your LGBTQ peers an explanation. Immediately.’

Ms Omooba is adamant she is not homophobic and has also denied that the character is a lesbian.

Her legal team claim that she has been abused on social media since the row broke out. 

She previously said: ‘I just quoted what the Bible says about homosexuality, the need for repentance, but ultimately God’s love for all humanity. 

‘I stand by what I wrote, but had I known that it would have come to this, I would have set my account to the privacy mode.’