‘Romeo & Juliet’ Star Francesca Amewudah-Rivers Faces Racist Backlash Over Role
Actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers has been the target of racist insults and harassment since being announced as Juliet in the pending stageplay Romeo & Juliet, also starring Tom Holland.
Sharing a social media post announcing her casting, the actress’ comments were filled with hateful remarks from users suggesting she was not fit for the role, as well as some fans uplifting and supporting the actress amid the backlash.
The ability to leave a message on the post, as well as a secondary upload, was eventually disabled. Since the vitriol on Instagram, the Jamie Lloyd Production company behind the Shakespeare revival has issued a statement regarding Amewudah-Rivers’ treatment.
“Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed towards a member of our company. THIS MUST STOP,” shared the memo. “We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment.”
“The statement continued, “We will continue to support and protect everyone in our company at all costs. Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported. Bullying and harassment have no place, in our industry or in our wider communities. Our rehearsal room is full of joy, compassion and kindness. We celebrate the extraordinary talent of our incredible collaborators.”
The full cast includes Freema Agyeman, Michael Balogun, Tomiwa Edun, Mia Jerome, Daniel Quinn-Toye, and Ray Sesay.
According to the official website, Romeo & Juliet is set to run from May 11 until August 3 at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. Tickets are currently marked as sold out. A special ticketing option will be offered for hopeful buyers that satisfy booking criteria on Wednesday (April 10).
Romeo & Juliet marks Amewudah-Rivers’s West End debut, per ET. Her stage credits include School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English, Macbeth, Antigone, Othello, and more. For Holland, it is the Spider-Man: Homecoming star’s return to the stage, with his last production being Billy Elliot: The Musical when he was only 12 years old.
Read the full statement from The Jamie Lloyd Company below.
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