Gabrielle Union Reveals Mistake In Portraying Her 'Bring It On' Character: 'I Muzzled Her'

If Gabrielle Union could do it again, she would like to change a few things about how she portrayed Isis, her character in the 2000 cheerleading comedy movie "Bring It On."

Union said she regrets how she "muzzled" Isis and even wrote her a lengthy apology in her new book "You Got Anything Stronger?" which she talked about during her "Good Morning America" guesting Monday.

"I do think it was a mistake," Union told the morning show's hosts. "I was given full range to do whatever I wanted with Isis in 'Bring It On,' and I chose respectability and to be classy and take the high road because I felt like that would make her be appropriate — the right kind of Black girl."

"Black girls aren't allowed to be angry. Certainly not demonstratively angry, and I muzzled her," Union added.

The 48-year-old actress then recalled her conversation with fellow "Bring It On" alumna Kirsten Dunst during the movie's 20th-anniversary reunion held in August. In the pre-recorded Zoom call with director Peyton Reed and writer Jessica Bendinger, Union and Dunst pitched some ideas for the popular flick's movie, in case it happens.

Aside from coming up with a potential storyline for the sequel, Union said she also realized she needs to "acknowledge" where she failed despite being given full control of her character.

"When given full control, I made her appropriate," she said. "I would have allowed her to be angry. I would have allowed her full humanity, and part of being a full human is the ability to express rage when harmed."

"When you don't really allow yourself your full range of emotion and you muzzle your own emotions, it allows people to think, 'Maybe what I did wasn't that bad.' I would have given her all the anger," Union further said.

Now considered a cult classic, "Bring It On" tells the story of rival cheerleading groups who compete for a national title. Dunst's character, Torrance, leads the Toros, the group who stole the dance routine from the Clovers, which is the cheerleading group led by Union's Isis. In the end, the Clovers bag the national title with the Toros coming in second place. The Toros congratulate the Clovers and the two groups develop a newfound respect for each other.

Meanwhile, "You Got Anything Stronger?" is an essay collection that delves deeper into Union's "experiences with everything," including motherhood, marriage and even racist institutions. It was released Tuesday.