Jenny Slate Has Left “Big Mouth” So Her Character Can Be Voiced By a Black Actor

"Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people."

Actress Jenny Slate has announced that she will stop voicing the character of Missy on Netflix's Big Mouth. As the white actress states, she no longer feels comfortable portraying a biracial character.

Ok so Jenny Slate stepped down from playing Missy on #BigMouth & she left because she feels black characters should be played by Black people. How y’all feel about this? I think it’s admirable of her, even tho I like Missy’s voice. pic.twitter.com/3igWJzNjJM

— Melzuko (@itsmimi) June 25, 2020

In an Instagram post, Slate explained why she has decided to leave the series. 

"At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play 'Missy' because her mom was Jewish and White—as am I," she wrote.

"But 'Missy' is also Black, and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people." 

Slate went on to acknowledge that by portraying Missy, she was "engaging in an act of erasure of Black people."

You can read the full statement in her Instagram post.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Jenny Slate (@jennyslate) on Jun 24, 2020 at 1:00pm PDT

Big Mouth co-creators Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett also posted a statement on Twitter supporting Slate's decision to stop voicing the character. 

"We made a mistake, took our privilege for granted, and we're working hard to do better moving forward," they wrote.

pic.twitter.com/buwhkbi5LD

— nick kroll (@nickkroll) June 24, 2020

According to Variety, production has already wrapped on Season 4, which suggests Missy will be voiced by a new actress from Season 5. 

Slate isn't the only actress to step away from portraying a biracial character. It has been revealed that Kristen Bell will no longer voice the mixed-race central character of Molly Tillerman in Apple's animated series Central Park.

The show's creative team released a statement, saying "We profoundly regret that we might have contributed to anyone's feeling of exclusion or erasure." 

Bell also posted the statement on social media. 

This is a time to acknowledge our acts of complicity. Heres 1 of mine. Playing the Molly in Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege. Casting a mixed race character w/a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed race & Black American experience. pic.twitter.com/8AL8m4K7Uk

— Kristen Bell (@KristenBell) June 25, 2020

It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right. I am happy to relinquish this role to someone who can give a much more accurate portrayal and I will commit to learning, growing and doing my part for equality and inclusion. pic.twitter.com/k8N73pAXOw

— Kristen Bell (@KristenBell) June 25, 2020

The recastings come amid a larger conversation surrounding the representation of Black characters in film and television. 

Header Image: David Crotty / Contributor / Patrick McMullan via Getty Images