Hollywood continues to deal with COVID-19 and vaccination mandates. After a recent Deadline report, actress Andrea Bordeaux revealed on social media that she was fired from Run the World on Starz due to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the production.
Originally, it was reported that Lionsgate currently requires all cast and crews in their productions working “in Zone A” to be fully vaccinated. Per Deadline’s sources, “Lionsgate Television had conversations with Bordeaux about her concerns over the vaccine mandate and reasonable ways to accomodate them. Ultimately, the two sides could not find a workable solution, and Bordeaux left the series.”
However, over the weekend Bordeaux took to social media to make her own statement on the matter, challenging the report that she “exited” the series, claiming she was ultimately fired.
She wrote to her followers underneath a screenshot of the Deadline report, “Getting the opportunity to play Ella on #RunTheWorld was an absolute dream come true. I would have loved to continue to grow with this delightful character and having to come to terms with this sharp turn in my life, my dream, and career these past several weeks has been heartbreaking beyond words. I have so much love for the cast and crew of ‘Run The World’ and will miss them. I wish you all the best.”
Later she shared, “Despite what the article says, I did not opt to leave the series and Lionsgate made no efforts to find a workable solution. I was fired.”
She went on to explain that “her heart” is with people around the world, “who feel that they are losing so much due to their choice to stand in their convictions and to honor their deepest core beliefs. What I know for certain is that when you are leading with your heart and honoring the path that Spirit has laid out for you, nothing can be taken away that will not be returned 1000 fold. I surrender to that with profound Peace and Joy and I encourage you to do the same.”
It has been confirmed that Bordeaux’s role will not be recast in the series, which also stars Amber Stevens West, Bresha Webb, and Corbin Reid. This mandate falls under COVID safety protocols that Hollywood and various unions agreed upon that give producers, “the option to implement mandatory vaccination policies for casts and crew in Zone A (which includes the actors and those who directly interact with them) on a production-by-production basis,” per Deadline.
Bordeaux’s instance is one of many, as 9-1-1 star Rockmond Dunbar recently announced his departure from the FOX series due to the vaccine mandate, as theGrio previously reported.
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