Harold Perrineau has penned an open letter to people who are upset about his daughter, who is biracial, being cast in Jem And The Holograms.
Perrineau’s daughter, Aurora Perrineau, has been receiving criticism since her casting was announced, with many saying that she is too light-skinned to play the character Shana Elmsford, an African-American with deeper hues to her skin color. However, that criticism has apparently gone too far, with Perrineau saying that some have even gone on to tell his 21-year-old daughter that she should “kill herself” because she took the role.
“The reason I’m so angry right now (and I’m sure that many people will be able to understand this) is that I feel like my daughter – MY CHILD – is being attacked. She is being harshly and unfairly judged during a time when she should be relishing her accomplishments,” Perrineau wrote in a letter published to The Wrap.
“Aurora is the product of a Caucasian mother and a black father and is therefore not qualified or not “black” enough to play a black character from an animated series, according to some people. Her blackness or lack thereof is so offensive to some that they’ve written articles about it. They’ve gone onto social media and spewed their vitriol directly at her. Some went so far as to suggest that she “kill herself” for taking the role. All, without ever seeing her work in the role. All this anger based solely on the color of her skin.”
While it is arguably fair to criticize the casting, since Aurora is playing the only black character in the group, it is one thing to criticize a movie for its casting decisions and another thing entirely to levy personal attacks against the actress herself.
Grio fam, what do you think? Have some fans taken things too far?