With the rise of protests around the world, in the aftermath of the brutal killing of George Floyd by a police officer, it appears that Black actors are feeling more empowered to speak up about the racism and discrimination that is present in Hollywood. And though many are calling out the systemic racism that exists, some folks, such as “Riverdale” actress Vanessa Morgan, are taking aim at their own TV series and projects.
In a recent post on Twitter, Morgan spoke out about the racism she perceives as part of the Hollywood system. And in doing so, she makes allusions to her incredibly popular CW series.
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“Tired of how black people are portrayed in media. Tired of us portrayed as thugs, dangerous, or angry scary people,” she wrote. “Tired of us also being used as sidekick non-dimensional characters to our white leads. Or only used in the ads for diversity but not actually in the show.”
And though she doesn’t specifically call out “Riverdale,” it doesn’t take a genius to realize that perhaps she’s discussing the way she feels about the show she is currently acting in, considering that one glance at the cast list shows a distinct lack of Black faces. Apparently, that correlation wasn’t lost on the series’ creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.
In a related post on Instagram, Aguirre-Sacasa replied to the comments made by Morgan and didn’t deny her allegations. In fact, he fully admitted that “Riverdale” needs to do beter.
“We hear Vanessa. We love Vanessa. She’s right,” Aguirre-Sacasa said. “We’re sorry and we make the same promise to you that we did to her. We will do better to honor her and the character she plays. As well as all of our actors and characters of color. Change is happening and will continue to happen. Riverdale is getting bigger, not smaller. We will be part of the movement, not outside it.”
He added, “All of the ‘Riverdale’ writers made a donation to [Black Lives Matter], but we know where the work must happen for us. In the writers’ room.”
We’ve seen a number of Black actors speaking out over the past few days, calling out shows, films, and creators that aren’t doing as well with diversity as they’d like you to believe. And though many have offered apologies, the creator of “Riverdale” has seemingly gone the extra mile to address an issue that likely would have eventually disappeared as his series was not named. But instead, he’s taking full control and admitting the failures of the series.
“Riverdale” is one of the most popular series on CW and recently wrapped up its fourth season.