"Because I had my mother's exotic look, (people were always asking me: "what are you?"), I learned very early on,  that when I would go out on interviews, I never got the jobs that called for "regular" girls.  It was infuriating many times, but eventually, my agents recognized which jobs to submit me for.  I was exotic looking, but not too much so that I would be mistaken for the real deal.  In those days, just applying dark make-up could make an actress "pass," which satisfied producers. My look was generic enough to play a wide range of "exotics" without anyone making a fuss.  Just paint her with Max Factor negro # 1 or 2, put her in a different costume, have her speak with a slightly different accent .....and voila!!!! a 'native'."  Video on YouTube.