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Regina King instigated a change in her career after she kept being offered the role of someone's wife in movies.
The actress fell victim to typecasting following her stellar turn as Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character's wife Marcee Tidwell in the 1996 hit Jerry Maguire.
She went on to play Will Smith's wife in 1998's Enemy of the State, Eddie Murphy's significant other in Daddy Day Care in 2003, and Margie Hendrix, partner of Jamie Foxx's Ray Charles, in the 2004 biopic Ray.
But during an interview on The Graham Norton Show which airs in the U.K. on Friday night, Regina explained that she grew tired of playing the same parts and knew she wanted to start taking on much more complex roles.
"When you get a call asking you to play Samuel L. Jackson's wife you think, 'Surely you meant daughter or mistress?' I love Sam, but that told me it was time to shift," she explained, refusing to name the movie or character she was offered and turned down.
Regina, who scooped an Oscar earlier this year for her stunning portrayal of a woman seeking justice in If Beale Street Could Talk, also opened up about the sense of relief she felt after her win for Best Supporting Actress.
"It still feels surreal, but I felt so much love in that room. Once you've won the pressure is off, and they do have a bar!" the 48-year-old laughed.
Regina is currently appearing as Angela Abar - and her alter-ego Sister Knight - in the critically-acclaimed HBO series Watchmen, which is an adaptation of the bleak, ultra-violent comic.
And while the star is happy doing her own stunts on the show, she's keen for a double to take over her racy scenes.
"I'll do some of them, but I have a stunt double to do all the hard stuff because I am not landing on the ground! I do sometimes wish that the double could come in to do some of the sex scenes - that would be awesome!" Regina joked.