The English native, who joins the cast of The CW’s series since season 3 to play Peaches ‘N Cream, also claims in a new interview that she’s ‘made out to be a very unlikable character and therefore, an unlikable person in people’s eyes.’
- Jul 29, 2020
AceShowbiz – Another “Riverdale” cast member is speaking against The CW’s series. Two months after co-star Vanessa Morgan called for more diversity on the show, Bernadette Beck got candid about her experience being one of a few black cast members on the show.
“I was made out to be a very unlikable character and therefore, an unlikable person in people’s eyes,” Bernadette, who plays Peaches ‘N Cream, a bisexual member of the Pretty Poisons, on the series told ELLE.com on Tuesday, July 28. She also criticized the way the series depicted her character.
“I get it, there’s always a protagonist and antagonist, but I never had much of a story plot or enough character development to even be considered an antagonist. I was, for no reason, depicted in a very negative, unattractive light,” she shared.
The English native went on to say that she’s “not the first black actress to show up on set, stand there, chew gum, and look sassy and mean. I feel like I was just there to fulfill a diversity quota. It’s just to fulfill points.”
Beck, who joined the cast since season 3, also claimed that she was treated as if she’s invisible on the set. “I was completely forgotten in the scene more than once,” she alleged. “The director [would] be walking off set and I’d have to chase them down because I had no idea where to stand, what to do — I just hadn’t been given any instruction.”
“You can’t treat people like they’re invisible and then pat yourself on the back for meeting your diversity quota for the day,” she said.
She went on to say that she initially didn’t understand how being a likable character was important. “Some people say it’s just a TV show, but I’m thinking about the implications long-term,” she explained. “If we are depicted as unlikable or our characters are not developed or we’re looked at as the enemy all the time, that affects our public persona. What kind of opportunities are we losing out on even after ‘Riverdale’?”
Beck took to her Instagram account to share her interview. “I have remained silent for far too long. We must come together as a collective to hold Hollywood along with our systemic oppressors accountable,” she wrote in the caption.
Source: Television - aceshowbiz.com
