Current:Home > Finance'Romeo & Juliet' director slams 'barrage of racial abuse' toward star Francesca Amewudah-Rivers -WealthX
'Romeo & Juliet' director slams 'barrage of racial abuse' toward star Francesca Amewudah-Rivers
View
Date:2025-04-11 14:09:48
The theater company behind the upcoming Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers-led "Romeo & Juliet" play in London is speaking out after the lead actress faced "a barrage of racial abuse online."
"This must stop," The Jamie Lloyd Company wrote in a lengthy statement shared across social media on Friday. "We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment. We will continue to support and protect everyone in our company at all costs."
Amewudah-Rivers has faced an onslaught of bullying online and in her comments section, ranging from racism to colorism to featurism for her casting opposite Holland after The James Lloyd Company announced the full cast on March 28.
The Jamie Lloyd theater company continued: "Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported. Bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry or in our wider communities."
"We celebrate the extraordinary talent of our incredible collaborators. The 'Romeo & Juliet' community will continue to rehearse with generosity and love, and focus on the creation of our production," the statement concluded.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Amewudah-Rivers.
Halle Bailey faced similar vitriol for her role as Ariel in "The Little Mermaid," with debates about the accuracy of casting Bailey – a Black woman – in the role of Ariel, who appeared as a light-skinned, redheaded mermaid in the 1989 animated film. Rachel Zegler also had pushback for her casting as the titular character in "Snow White" as a Latina actress portraying a princess described as "white as snow."
Amewudah-Rivers has previously starred in William Shakespeare plays "Macbeth" and "Othello" as well as Sophocles tragedy "Antigone" across London theaters. She also starred in two seasons of "Bad Education" on BBC. Her role in "Romeo & Juliet" marks her debut in the West End, which is the London equivalent to New York City's Broadway.
'Romeo & Juliet' movie starsfile second lawsuit over 1968 nude scene while minors
Holland shot to fame for his role as Peter Parker in three "Spider-Man" films and Marvel spin-offs. He has also shown his range in "The Devil All the Time," "The Crowded Room" and "Uncharted." This is his first time returning to the stage since he starred in "Billy Elliot: The Musical" as a child.
The Lloyd-directed "Romeo & Juliet" has also cast Freema Agyeman, Michael Balogun, Tomiwa Edun, Mia Jerome, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Nima Taleghani, Callum Heinrich, Kody Mortimer, Joshua-Alexander Williams and Ray Sesay.
The sold-out play is set for a limited run from May 11 to Aug. 3 at the Duke of York's Theatre in London.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- West Virginia seeks to become latest state to ban noncitizen voting
- A diamond in the rough: South Carolina Public Works employee helps woman recover lost wedding ring.
- Relive the Most OMG Moments to Hit the Runways During Fashion Week
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Fans raise a red Solo cup to honor Toby Keith, who immortalized the humble cup in song
- A bill that would allow armed teachers in Nebraska schools prompts emotional testimony
- ESPN, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery announce plans to launch sports streaming platform in the fall
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Closed since 1993, Fort Wingate in New Mexico now getting $1.1M for natural resource restoration
Ranking
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- EVs won over early adopters, but mainstream buyers aren't along for the ride yet
- ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to launch a sports streaming platform
- Jennifer Crumbley verdict: After historic trial, jury finds mother of school shooter guilty
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- LeBron James, Sixers, Suns have most to lose heading into NBA trade deadline
- Not wearing a mask during COVID-19 health emergency isn’t a free speech right, appeals court says
- Scientists rely on private funding to push long COVID research forward
Recommendation
Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
Former candidate who tried to recall Gov. Burgum runs again for North Dakota governor
Q&A: Nolan and Villeneuve on ‘Tenet’ returning to theaters and why ‘Dune 2’ will be shown on film
Record rainfall, triple-digit winds, hundreds of mudslides. Here’s California’s storm by the numbers
Travis Hunter, the 2
Viewing tower, visitor’s center planned to highlight West Virginia’s elk restoration
'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' 2024 cast: See the full cast headlined by Donald Glover, Maya Erskine
Tiger King’s Carole Baskin asks Florida Supreme Court to review defamation lawsuit ruling