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Actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers is being subjected to online racial abuse following the announcement of her role as Juliet in the upcoming stageplay "Romeo & Juliet."
Amewudah-Rivers shared the news of her casting in the "Romeo & Juliet" play, which also stars Tom Holland, on Instagram, but her comment section was filled with racist remarks suggesting she wasn't fit for the role.
The actress disabled her comment section on the original post. However, racist insults and harassment can still be found in a follow-up post promoting the play.
The Jamie Lloyd Production company behind the "Romeo & Juliet" revival issued a statement addressing the "racial abuse" directed towards its cast member.
“Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed towards a member of our company. THIS MUST STOP,” the production company said in a statement. “We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment.”
“We will continue to support and protect everyone in our company at all costs. Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported," the statement continued. "Bullying and harassment have no place, in our industry or in our wider communities. Our rehearsal room is full of joy, compassion and kindness. We celebrate the extraordinary talent of our incredible collaborators.”
The "Romeo & Juliet" stageplay is set to debut on May 11 and run until August 3 at the Duke of York's Theatre in London. Other cast members include Freema Agyeman, Michael Balogun, Tomiwa Edun, Mia Jerome, Daniel Quinn-Toye, and Ray Sesay.
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