The gossip site TMZ obtained a casting sheet specifying that the actor playing the African-American car dealer in the Acura commercial be "nice looking, friendly, not too dark."
Someone connected to the ad's casting told TMZ that the skin tone restriction was to avoid problems with lighting and special effects.
Acura on Wednesday issued a statement: "We apologize to anyone offended by the language on the casting sheet used in the selection of actors for one of our commercials. We sought to cast an African-American in a prominent role in the commercial, and we made our selection based on the fact that he was the most talented actor. The casting sheet was only now brought to our attention.
