Mo'Nique: I was 'blackballed' after Oscar win for 'Precious'

ATLANTA, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Mo'Nique says director Lee Daniels told her she was blackballed following her Oscar win for Precious.

The 47-year-old actress revealed as much in an interview for the Feb. 27 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Mo'Nique won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mary Lee Johnston in the 2009 film, but was reportedly passed over for new roles because she "didn't play the game."

"There have been people that have said, 'Mo'Nique, she can be difficult,'" the star admitted. "They could probably be right. One of the networks said to [Lee] that I was 'really difficult to work with.' And I said, 'Well, that's funny, because I've never worked with them, but okay.'"

"Whoever those people are who say, 'Mo'Nique is difficult,' those people are either heartless, ruthless or treat people like they're worthless," she declared. "And that's unacceptable. They're set to say, 'Mo'Nique is tactless, she's tacky.'"

Mo'Nique said Daniels approached her for roles in The Butler and Fox series Empire, but the parts later "all just went away." The director responded to the allegations in a statement to THR, claiming the actress "soured her relationship" with Hollywood with her demands on Precious.

"I consider her a friend," he asserted. "I have and will always think of her for parts that we can collaborate on. however, the consensus among the creative teams and powers thus far were to go another way with these roles."

Mo'Nique is also known for playing Nikki Parker on UPN sitcom The Parkers. The star addressed her alleged blackballing again Thursday on Twitter, writing, "To be BLACKBALLED or ostracized 4 ur beliefs is a scary thought, however to say silent about what u see is scarier. #faceyourfears."