Alison Brie is "truly sorry" for voicing a Vietnamese-American character in the animated series ‘BoJack Horseman’.
The 37-year-old actress played the role of Diane Nguyen in the hit Netflix series – which aired its final season earlier this year – and has now admitted she shouldn’t have taken on the role, as she believes people of colour "should always voice" characters who are also people of colour.
She wrote on Instagram: "In hindsight, I wish that I didn’t voice the character of Diane Nguyen. I now understand that people of color, should always voice people of color. We missed a great opportunity to represent the Vietnamese-American community accurately and respectfully, and for that I am truly sorry. I applaud all those who stepped away from their voiceover roles in recent days. I have learned a lot from them. (sic)"
Alison’s apology comes after Kristen Bell stepped down from voicing Molly, the mixed-race character she played in Apple’s ‘Central Park’, and Jenny Slate quit the role of biracial character Missy, who appeared in ‘Big Mouth’.
In a lengthy statement, Jenny announced: "At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play ‘Missy’ because her mom is Jewish and white – as am I. But ‘Missy’ is also Black, and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people. I acknowledge how my original reasoning was flawed, that it existed as an example of white privilege and unjust allowances made within a system of societal white supremacy, and that in me playing ‘Missy,’ I was engaging in an act of erasure of Black people. Ending my portrayal of ‘Missy’ is one step in a life-long process of uncovering the racism in my actions.
"As I look back on the nature and emergence of my own voice in comedy, I know that I have made mistakes along the way. I can’t change the past, but I can take accountability for my choices. I will continue to engage in meaningful anti-racist action, to be thoughtful about the messages in my work, to be curious and open to feedback and to do my best to take responsibility for the ways that I am part of the problem.
"Most importantly, though, to anyone that I’ve hurt: I’m so very sorry. Black voices must be heard. Black Lives Matter."
Whilst Kristen said in her own statement: "This is a time to acknowledge our acts of complicity. Here is one of mine. Playing the character of Molly on Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege. Casting a mixed race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed race and Black American experience. It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right. I am happy to relinquish this role to someone who can give a much more accurate portrayal and I will commit to learning, growing and doing my part for equality and inclusion. (sic)."