Entertainment industry culture puts people of colour against one another, feels 'Bridgerton' star Charithra Chandran
Apr 27, 2024
Washington [US], April 27 : Charithra Chandran, who played Edwina Sharma in the TV series 'Bridgerton', has spoken out against an entertainment industry culture that she believes puts people of colour against one another., reported Deadline
Chandran said she has "never pictured myself as a role model" but "a lot of young girls follow me on social media, so I do feel a sense of responsibility."
Actors such as Dev Patel from 'Slumdog Millionaire', Melissa Fumero from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Aubrey Plaza have already expressed concern.
To Chandran, this mentality is intentionally propagated by industry gatekeepers to pit people of colour against each other. "It's not a zero-sum game," she said. "You're so focused on fighting your own that you become distracted from the people doing the oppressing. The oppressors have imposed the idea that there's only one seat at the table when what other people of colour are doing is just pulling up more chairs."
Since reaching prominence, Chandran has opted to speak out about colourism and the value of diversity. "I think that is the burden of representation, right?" she added. "It's so scarce that you're expected to represent everybody in your community as opposed to just being an individual. The goal is that representation is so nuanced and so consistent that no one individual portrayal has that burden, but while I have it, it's a really important responsibility that I take seriously."
Chandran originally featured on film in the Prime Video espionage series Alex Rider before establishing herself in Shonda Rhimes' Bridgerton, where she played the younger sister of Simone Ashley's Kate Sharma. This is shaping up to be a big year for the 27-year-old actress, who was born in Scotland to Tamil Indian parents.
She said theatre acting has been "the most fun I've had," a "rewarding and challenging experience" that took her back to her days performing at Oxford University, reported Deadline.
