refusing to be typecast, dorothy dandridge vowed never to play a slave on tv.e was dead of a drug overdose with little more than $2 to her name. >> when a black actor wins an oscar or is nominated, in my opinion, i think hollywood is sometimes not knowing what to do with them because the path isn't clear. >> reporter: of the nearly 3,000 oscars that have been awarded since 1929, fewer than 30 have been given to people of color. many of them for roles based on true stories, therefore could never have been played by white actors anyway. >> not likely leonardo dicaprio could play nelson mandela. >> one of the ways black people play the lead where there is no competition. >> reporter: he played louis gaines in "the butler." pam williams, one of the producers, says that some investors refused to fund it unless she gave the white actors bigger roles. >> one potential investor asked could we give the butler a white best friend. i don't think the investors we went to were racist when they said these things. i think again they buy into the myth that is white people want

oscar in 1940 for her portrayal of mamie in "gone with the wind," but it was lena horne and dorothy dandridgeho became the black icons of that era. their european beauty standard has been the hollywood standard since then. grace jones, naomi campbell and michelle obama have all been celebrated by the fashion world. and cicely tyson, alfre woodard, viola davis, octavia spencer, whoopi goldberg and kerry washington are all renowned, beautiful woulding actresses. but lupita is unique, because she's all of those things at once, a multiple award-winning actress and a fashion icon and a certified it girl who has captivated mainstream america and instantly redefined the beauty ideal. believe it or not, even in 2014, that's huge, and it makes her so important to that little girl who wrote that heartbreaking letter to my daughter and to all our daughters. and that wraps things up for "the reid report." i will see you back here tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. eastern. "the cycle" is up next. what have you got going today? >> hey. >> hey, joy, great message about lupita nyong'o. i was so proud of her and what it