Netflix has cut a Latina housekeeper character from its new comedy ''Uncoupled,'' starring Neil Patrick Harris, after TV and film actor Ada Maris wrote an open letter expressing how ''hurtful and derogatory'' the role was, Variety reports.
''When I opened it and saw that it wasn't even funny — it was hurtful and derogatory — I was shocked because I walked in expecting something very different given the way things are nowadays and the progress we've made,'' Maris said.
Maris, 64, is known for her roles in TV series such as ''Mayans M.C.'' and ''Nurses.'' She told Variety that she considered the role in ''Uncoupled'' demeaning and one-dimensional.
In ''Uncoupled,'' created by Darren Star, Michael, played by Harris, is blindsided when his husband of 17 years walks out on him.
A character named Carmen was supposed to play Harris' housekeeper. In the first scene, according to Variety, Carmen is introduced as being ''nearly hysterical on the phone,'' calling Michael in broken English to tell him that she thinks his apartment has been robbed.
"Mister, I just get here and they stole!" her line said. "They stole! They rob you! I don't know how they get in."
In the second scene, Carmen berates Michael for the way he washed a glass, saying, "No, I do that. You don't clean good, you always leave a ring."
Maris said in the letter that she was ''fed up.''
"If I'm not going to say anything now, when am I going to say something? I just want [writers] to think the next time they write a character like that. I'm speaking out for the younger actors coming up so they face even less of that than my generation has.''
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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