(Even Carla's surname "Gray" reflects the in-between nature of the character, not "black" or "white".) According to actress Ellen Holly's memoir, One Life: An Autobiography of an African American Actress, Nixon based Carla's mother Sadie on a maid who worked for Nixon's family when she was growing up much the same way that Sadie on One Life initially worked as a maid for the Lord family. Nixon based Carla and Sadie's original story on the film Imitation of Life, in which a light-skinned Black woman denies her heritage and her darker-complected mother, and enters white society by passing.
(Even Carla's surname "Gray" symbolizes the character's transitional nature, not "black" or "white".) According to actress Ellen Holly's memoir, One Life: An Autobiography of an African American Actress, Nixon based Carla's mother Sadie on a maid who worked for Nixon's family when she was growing up much like how Sadie initially served as a maid for the Lord family. Nixon drew inspiration from Carla and Sadie's original story in Imitation of Life, where a light-skinned Black woman denies her heritage and her darker-complexioned mother by passing into white society.