Recently,
the CW had a moment of reckoning when Riverdale’s
Vanessa Morgan took to social media to call out the dismissive treatment she
received on the show. She pointed out how her character, Toni, has been used to
prop up white characters’ stories instead of being given storylines of her own,
and she also noted that she, the only Black regular in the cast, was also the
lowest-paid. In response, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa acknowledged her
grievances, apologized, and promised to do better for her and all the other
actors of color on the show.
That’s
important, that her concerns were heard/validated rather than denied or
dismissed and that change was promised, but of course, the proof will be in the
pudding. It’ll be on Riverdale now to
follow through and actually do the work to better serve its characters of
color. Because this isn’t the first time a show has been confronted by issues
like this, and plenty of others have responded by saying the right words and
then mostly going back to the status quo.
It
gets into an important disconnect in how diverse and inclusive shows are
created. Far too often, productions applaud themselves by casting actors of
color in their series or their film, and to be sure, that isn’t nothing. Actors
of color will never get ahead if they’re never given opportunities, if roles
are shut out to them and they’re not even allowed a chance to audition or a
real shot at proving their worth in a role. The problem is that too many
productions seem to think that’s where the work ends. Revealing a glossy photo
of their diverse cast, the show hangs up an “Inclusion Accomplished!” banner,
not acknowledging that true inclusion requires deeper effort on their part.
When
Morgan called out how actors of color are “only used in the ads for diversity
but not in the actual show,” I knew exactly what she meant because that was my
precise reaction to Riverdale. I was
initially drawn to the show in part due to its diverse cast (Veronica’s Latinx!
Reggie’s Asian American! All the Pussycasts are Black!), but the reality of the
series quickly failed to deliver on that promise. The Pussycats evaporated into
just Josie before long, and she too eventually left the show after being given
little to do. Reggie, just as essential in the comics as the “core four,” has
never really felt incorporated into
the cast. And while I’ve loved Veronica at different points in the show, I
don’t think it’s an accident that she’s also the lightest-skinned of the
characters of the color, and for the first few seasons, any reference to her
culture is limited to her parents calling her “mija.”
So,
while casting diverse actors is a crucial step in creating an inclusive show,
it’s only step one. From there, work has to extend into the writers’ room. The
writers need to write for these characters (imagine that!), including them in
meaningful ways and giving them space within the story to shine. Furthermore,
it’s often vital that the makeup of the writers’ room reflect the makeup of the
cast. Candice Patton from The Flash
has talked about this, how the show passed so many seasons with major Black
cast members but no Black writers. This led to a lot of lost
opportunity, both in the creation of small moments of authenticity within the
characters’ lives and in the chance to craft characters’ voices in a way that
shows how they’re shaped by their heritage. Cultural consultants can help, but
having writers of similar backgrounds to the characters is even better.
From
there, we look at finer points of the production. Again, Candice Patton has
talked about this, but numerous Black actors and actresses have called out the
all-too-frequent absence of hair and makeup artists who can style Black people,
leaving Black performers stuck trying to clean up the work of an uninformed
hair or makeup artist while the white performers have their looks
professionally styled by people who know what they’re doing. John Cho has
discussed the recurring problem of people of color being poorly lit onscreen,
and Ava DuVernay has talked about the importance of taking the time and effort
to make sure everyone on Queen Sugar
is well lit. And also, why was Masi Oka translating the Japanese dialogue in Heroes himself? Why did the show not
hire someone to do that?
Finally,
shows have to support their actors of color. From the producers to their fellow
castmates, there needs to be a workplace culture of support that doesn’t leave
them to fend for themselves against fandom racism. Grant Gustin got a lot of
recognition when he spoke up on social media about racist Flash fans who attack Candice Patton (that poor woman has been through it with that show,) but
there were also questions about why it took him five seasons to clearly and
unequivocably call out the racism she’d been experiencing since day one. An
unfortunate SOP from producers seems to have been to warn actors to expect
racism from fans, wish them the best of luck, and then stay out of it, and
that’s not right. Shows need to form a united front, standing alongside cast
members receiving abuse at the hands of fans and making it clear that they
won’t tolerate that kind of treatment.
Again,
I’m never going to advocate for shows or films not casting actors of color, but I want them to realize that the
job doesn’t end there. Creating a truly-diverse show requires a lot more work
than that, but the end result of those efforts can be immensely rewarding.
