Bernadette Beck Opens Up About How 'Riverdale' Fails Black Characters & Actors

Bernadette Beck Opens Up About How 'Riverdale' Fails Black Characters & Actors

Bernadette Beck is the latest actress to speak out about Riverdale amidst the Black Lives Matter movement.

The 26-year-old actress has been playing the character Peaches ‘N Cream on the hit CW series throughout seasons three and four.

Bernadette opened up in a new interview with Elle about how the series is failing Black characters.

“I was made out to be a very unlikable character and therefore, an unlikable person in people’s eyes,” she said. “I get it, there’s always a protagonist and antagonist, but I never had much of a story plot or enough character development to even be considered an antagonist… I was, for no reason, depicted in a very negative, unattractive light. And I’m not the first Black actress to show up on set, stand there, chew gum, and look sassy and mean. I feel like I was just there to fulfill a diversity quota. It’s just to fulfill points.”

She also shared that she was been quite literally forgotten about on set.

“I was completely forgotten in the scene more than once,” Bernadette says. “The director [would] be walking off set and I’d have to chase them down because I had no idea where to stand, what to do—I just hadn’t been given any instruction. You can’t treat people like they’re invisible and then pat yourself on the back for meeting your diversity quota for the day.”

“I didn’t understand when I first got on that show that it meant something for your character to be likable,” she continued. “Some people say it’s just a TV show, but I’m thinking about the implications long-term. If we are depicted as unlikable or our characters are not developed or we’re looked at as the enemy all the time, that affects our public persona. What kind of opportunities are we losing out on even after Riverdale? Our white co-stars are getting all this screen time and character development. They’re building up their following, generating more fans, selling out at conventions, and fans have more of an emotional connection with them. But if we don’t necessarily get that, and we’re looked at with disdain, what does that do to us and how does that stain our reputation moving forward?”

“When you’re in it, you’re going through the motions and you’re like, ‘Oh great, I finally get to be utilized!’” she said. “But when I saw it all put together, it made my character seem like she was down for anything.”

In case you missed it, Vanessa Morgan has also previously spoken about Riverdale, and the show’s creator/showrunner has vowed to make some changes.

Find out what another Black actress shared about how the show treated Black characters

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