Josh Gad and Kristen Bell announced the actress will no longer play Molly on the Apple TV+ show Central Park, but will stay on as another character. Central Park, which was created by Gad, along with Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, debuted on Apple’s streaming service in May this year.
Bell Announce it On Her Instagram Account
On Twitter, Gad announced Bell will no longer voice the biracial character of Molly, while Bell took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the development. Gad says that Bell is “an extraordinarily talented actress” who was part of the show from “nearly the first day” when there wasn’t “even a character for her to play.”
Gad goes on to say that after reflection, Bell and the creative team “recognize that the casting of the character of Molly is an opportunity to get representation right.” Gad also says that Bell will remain part of the show in a new, undisclosed role, and that a new actress will be found to play Molly.
Bell posted Gad’s tweet on her Instagram and added in the caption that her decision to play the biracial character “shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege.”
The Decision Influenced by Black Lives Matter Movement
The announcement comes in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that have swept the globe.
In addition to protesting police brutality of Black people, the protests have also raised awareness of the marginalization of Black voices in popular culture, leading to a number of changes on TV shows, including the removal of a number of TV episodes featuring white actors in blackface.
Bell’s removal as the voice of a biracial character also follows the announcement that Jenny Slate will no longer play Missy, a biracial character on Big Mouth.
The move by Bell and Gad seems to be a genuine and sincere attempt to acknowledge their error and rectify their mistake. The fact that Bell will stay on the show illustrates that the decision was one taken by all parties concerned, and hopefully Bell’s replacement will provide an opportunity to a voice actor who more accurately represents the character’s race.
It remains to be seen who will replace Bell, and who Bell will now portray on the show. Given the fact that Bell was signed to the main cast, one assumes a new character will need to be written into the show’s main narrative for her to play.
It is also unknown if the new voice actress for Molly will re-record her lines from the five episodes that are currently available on Apple TV+, or if Bell’s original recordings will remain as part of the show. The fix would be a simple one, as Apple could just replace the old episodes with the new lines slotted in.
