‘It really hurt and you start believing it’: Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran reveals friends told her she only got the role ‘because she’s brown’… while comparing diverse casting to ‘window dressing’
- The actress, 25, will play Edwina Sharma in the period drama’s second series
- She compared colour-conscious casting in the industry to ‘window dressing’, admitting she would like to see a more diverse crew when on set
- She said: ‘People assume my success is due to a diversity quota. I’ve even had friends say to me, “Oh you got that because you’re brown,’ and that really hurts”
- ‘What’s really scary is that you can start believing it and thinking, “The only reason I got cast as Edwina is because they were looking for an Indian family”‘
- She also claimed that, despite Bridgerton being praised for its diverse ensemble of actors, the same can’t be said for those behind the camera on shows
- Charithra said: ‘I would love to see more crew who are black and brown. I think that’s really important. We should be careful about just sort of window dressing’
Charithra Chandran has revealed her friends told her she only bagged a role in Bridgerton ‘because she is brown’, adding that the remarks ‘hurt’.
The actress, 25, who will play Edwina Sharma in the period drama’s second series, compared colour-conscious casting in the industry to ‘window dressing’, admitting she would like to see a more diverse crew when on set.
She told The Telegraph: ‘People assume my success is due to a diversity quota. I’ve even had friends say to me, “Oh you got that because you’re brown,’ and that really hurts.’
‘It really hurt and you can start believing it’: Charithra Chandran has claimed her friends insisted she only bagged her role in Bridgerton ‘because she’s brown’
‘What’s really scary is that you can start believing it and thinking, “The only reason I got cast as Edwina is because they were looking for an Indian family.”‘
The Oxford native stressed that being a person of colour isn’t unitary, adding that specific communities should be represented under the umbrella.
She also claimed that, despite Bridgerton being praised for its highly diverse ensemble of actors, the same can’t always be said for those behind the camera on shows.
Charithra continued: ‘I would love to see more crew who are black and brown. I think that’s really important. We should be careful about just sort of window dressing.’
Talented: The actress, 25, who will play Edwina Sharma in the period drama’s second series, compared colour-conscious casting in the industry to ‘window dressing’, admitting she would like to see a more diverse crew when on set (pictured in-character)
While exploring a career in law before diving into acting, she claimed to have been snubbed by a parent of another child who was speaking at their school about becoming a barrister.
The Alex Rider star said the woman ‘refused’ to look her and another Indian student in the eye. Charithra soon decided this path would not be for her.
Netflix’s representatives declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Netflix’s vice-president of inclusion strategy previously said Bridgerton’s racially diverse cast was the result of an ‘inclusion lens’ being applied to casting decisions.
Verna Myers said the company supported diverse lead producers and showrunners for the series as well as its executive producer Shonda Rhymes.
She told The Guardian: ‘We’ve got to get folks in front of the camera and behind the camera. When that happens you’re going to get something you’ve never seen before. Bridgerton is something we have never seen before.’
‘We help out all of our creative folks in content and marketing with what we call an inclusion lens, when they’re casting and when they’re green lighting: see who’s there, see who isn’t.’
Tragic: ‘What’s really scary is that you can start believing it and thinking, “The only reason I got cast as Edwina is because they were looking for an Indian family”‘ (pictured, right, with Simon Ashley, left, as Kate Sharma)
Verna added that the historical lack of black employees in the technology and entertainment industries is down to industry trends and said Netflix has put special emphasis on recruiting black employees.
She explained: ‘We had a special person to think about recruitment, specifically for underrepresented groups, and we started with people of colour, and we really emphasised black.’
Based on a series of books of the same name by Julia Quinn, Bridgerton follows the eight siblings of the Bridgerton family as they attempt to find love in Regency-era England.
In the upcoming second series, Lady Danbury takes in the Sharma family – sisters Kate (Simone Ashley) and Edwina (Charithra), and their mother Lady Mary (Shelley Conn) – who travel to London from India to take part in the social season.
Both sisters quickly fall for the charms of Lord Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey.
Adapted from The Viscount Who Loved Me, the new season is set to centre on Anthony’s search to find a wife.
But in true Bridgerton fashion, ‘a considerable scandal’ is promised to ensue when he gets caught up in a love triangle with the two sisters.
The new season of the show seems to be as racy as the last, with scenes of a naked Anthony covering his modesty in his bedroom and in wet clothing after falling in the river as the result of some flirtatious behaviour.
Bridgerton quickly gained the title of Netflix’s most-watched series to date, garnering over 82 million views worldwide.
Bridgerton Season Two will stream on Netflix from March 25.
Speaking out: The Oxford native stressed that being a person of colour isn’t unitary, adding that specific communities should be represented under the umbrella (L to R: Simone as Kate , Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Shelley Conn as Mary Sharma, Charithra as Edwina)
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