Rachel Adedeji has slammed ‘Hollyoaks’ response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The actress and singer – who plays Lisa Loveday in the Channel 4 soap – hit out at the soap for its treatment of black women, as she claimed she was told "you’re all the same" by a make up artist, who is still working on the soap, and a senior producer used a racist word to refer to her.
She wrote in a lengthy statement: "I am disappointed with Hollyoaks’ approach with showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement yesterday. Did black lives matter when I was told ‘you’re all the same’ via a make up artist you employed and remains in employment to this day? Did Black Lives Matter when a number of female black actors were forced to drastically change their hair, because if not, the viewers ‘would not be able to tell them apart’? Do Black Lives Matter when my fellow black castmates are deemed ‘angry, aggressive and too vocal?’ Did Black Lives Matter when referred to as ‘bl*****s’ by a senior member of the production team? Do Black Lives really matter to you if over the last four years at ‘Hollyoaks’, I have only worked with one black director?"
And the 28-year-old star went on insist that "very little is being done behind the scenes" at the soap.
She added: "Honestly, the list goes on. Having a black cast member speak on behalf of ‘Hollyoaks’ to show that the work is being done is not as progressive as they think. As a matter of fact, very little is being done behind the scenes. Unfortunately, ‘Hollyoaks’ response seems to me, performative and disingenuous. It starts within the workplace.
"Systemic changes must be put into practice. Working at ‘Hollyoaks’ is mostly positive, but the experiences I have encountered are a constant reminder of how difficult it is being a black woman in the industry. I am no longer standing for it. Putting out a podcast on racism and asking your black members to teach you how to tackle racism is the bare minimum. THINK. DO BETTER. I hope ‘Hollyoaks’ delivers the same energy when #BlackLivesMatter is no longer trending."