Kristen Bell is "happy to relinquish" her role on ‘Central Park’.
It was announced on Wednesday (24.06.20) that the ‘Frozen 2’ star will no longer voice biracial teenager Molly in the Apple TV+ animated series, with the role being recast with a black or mixed race actress and the 39-year-old beauty thinks that’s the right thing to do.
She wrote on Instagram: "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."
Kristen will still work on the show, but in a different role.
The team behind the series have vowed to "do better" and admitted they "profoundly regret that we might have contributed to anyone’s feeling of exclusion or erasure."
They added in a statement: "Black people and people of colour have worked and will continue to work on Central Park but we can do better.
"We’re committed to creating opportunities for people of colour and Black people in all roles on all our projects – behind the mic, in the writers room, in production and in post-production.
"Animation will be stronger for having as many voices, experiences, and perspectives as we can possibly bring into the industry. Our shop and our show will be better for respecting the nuances and complexity around the issue of representation and trying to get it right."