Cast Members of Netflix’s ‘GLOW’ Speak Out About Diversity Issues in the Show
Before GLOW was canceled on Netflix, cast members started discussing representation issues with the show creators and studio executives as the Black Lives Matter Protests arose all over the country.
Thankfully, one actress, Sunita Mani, who played Arthie “Beirut the Mad Bomber” Premkumar, took to Instagram to reveal how these discussions went. She tells us in her post, ‘Our show creators and studio executives HEARD US.” Most of us can relate to being afraid to rock the boat for fear of repercussions as Mani experienced; however, she said with the support of her castmates, a safe space was created where she could air her grievances in hopes of change.
Unfortunately, we won’t see the new narratives the show had planned with the show’s cancellation. Mani thinks it’s ironic that a show trying to push boundaries on the fronts of feminism and diversity gets canceled at this moment where society is trying to grapple with those exacts issues. Mani writes, “I can’t help but think that a show that tried to tackle themes surrounding women in Hollywood and loaded racial stereotypes—the RELEVANT, precise moment we are in 30+ years later—that sought to imbue within each of us are a cast and hopefully as a viewer a sense of pride in who you are, COME AS YOU ARE, ultimately got squashed by… a Netflix corporate algorithm?”
glow: hey can we maybe make our show more diverse-
netflix: CANCELLED https://t.co/Hm0Gnvc64G— hadas | saveTBH (@yaytothegay) October 20, 2020
Her Instagram post includes the original letter she and five others wrote to the higher-ups about their problems; most originate from the flat character development based on racist stereotypes that these actresses wanted to get away from. One important question they pose is that without one writer of color in the writer’s room, how can a show create narratives for women of color without understanding their perspective first-hand? These actresses are experiencing the same problems their characters face on the show itself, which is not aligned with the values GLOW perpetuates.
glow netflix priding itself as a show for women by women then having no women of color in the writers room
— rina (@80sbian) October 19, 2020
Like other organizations are doing in this time, they used their voices to point out the issue and also provide plans to make that change: hire a producer of color, speak out on the insensitive character portrayals and rewrite their plotlines to address the harmful stereotypes, and lastly, consult with the actresses on how to make their characters’ narratives fleshed out so that they have a character arc that can be completed.
Damn. Sounds like fans of GLOW weren’t the only ones expressing their frustration with how sidelined and poorly written the diverse cast members were last session. Cool of Kia Stevens to share this, but how disappointing that Netflix pulled the plug. https://t.co/06UVoD59Al
— Harmony (@harmonopoly) October 19, 2020
The letter is signed by Sydelle Noel, Britney Young, Kia Stevens, Sunita Mani, Ellen Wong, and Shakira Barrera. While it is extremely unfortunate, we won’t see the proper ending to the show, knowing that those who wanted change used their voice, and those with power to make the change listened.
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