The creator of the Riverdale television series, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, has said sorry to actress Vanessa Morgan following her recent tweet about the unfair way coloured people were portrayed in the media.
Aguirre-Sacasa responded that they will make the same vow to everyone as they did to her and that they will improve to honour Morgan and the character she plays. That includes all of the cast of colour.
He added that change is happening and will go on to happen. The show will get bigger, not smaller. Riverdale will be part of the movement, not outside it. The showrunner added that all of the Riverdale writers have contributed to @BLMLA. They know where the work must happen and that is the writers’ room.
Morgan, who plays Toni Topaz on Riverdale, had tweeted that she was tired of how coloured people are portrayed in the media, tired of them being portrayed as thugs, dangerous or angry scary people.
She added that she was tired of them being used as side-kick, non-dimensional characters to their white leads. She was not happy that coloured people are only used in the ads for diversity but not actually in the show. Morgan said that it starts with the media and she does not want to be quiet any more.
A few days later, the Riverdale star replied to a fan who said she should be making double her pay because she is double the diversity for the show as Toni is an LGBTQ character and girlfriend of Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch).
Morgan responded saying that too bad she was the only coloured series regular but she was also paid the least. She also raised the show’s treatment of Ashleigh Murray’s Josie who joined spinoff Katy Keene this season. Morgan tweeted saying that maybe the show should write for her like the white characters. A few days later, “#hearvanessamorgan” trended on Twitter in support of Morgan.
The actress joined Riverdale in its second season and was promoted to be a series regular to the third season. The show has been renewed for its fifth season which will be aired in January.
See Aguirre-Sacasa’s statement below.
#hearvanessamorgan @BLMLA #riverdale ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gnlI8Dh9yz
— RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) June 5, 2020