Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Rachel Zegler Condemns Racist Abuse Hurled At Black Actor Playing Juliet In UK Production

Rachel Zegler; Francesca Amewudah-Rivers
Bruce Glikas/Getty Images; Dave Benett/Getty Images

The Snow White star, who is currently playing Juliet in Romeo + Juliet on Broadway, opened up to Teen Vogue about the racist abuse actor Francesca Amewudah-Rivers was subjected to while playing Juliet opposite Tom Holland on the West End.

In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, Broadway's newest Juliet, Rachel Zegler, came to the defense of Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, who played Juliet on the West End, and condemned those who hurled racist hate at her online.

Zegler was promoting the just-opened Romeo + Juliet alongside her costar Kit Connor when she commented on the abuse Amewudah-Rivers faced when she was announced as the Juliet to Tom Holland's Romeo in Jamie Lloyd's West End production.


In fact, Amewudah-Rivers told the Stage that she even received death threats from bigots who were incapable of accepting a Black Juliet.

The online hate was so heated and deplorable that more than 800 actors signed an open letter to decry the attacks on the actor.

Zegler, of course, is no stranger to this kind of closed-minded pushback, having faced a similar situation when she was cast as Snow White in Disney's live-action remake.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes actor said she sent Amewudah-Rivers a message just the other day that said, "you're the greatest."

Zegler said the actor responded by expressing her gratitude for all "stood up for her in the time where everybody was tearing her down."

If you recall, Zegler publicly advocated for Amewudah-Rivers and actively promoted her role.

Zegler continued, claiming more should have been done to protect Amewudah-Rivers.

"I think she was failed by the people around her."
"You need to protect people when you make a vow to cast them in something where you know — you can't act stupid, you know how the general public is going to act because they've been acting that way for years."

She went on, calling out those who stood idly by as Amewudah-Rivers was being publicly attacked.

"You need to f**king say something. You need to move quickly and make sure that she is protected."
"I've never seen such heinous things said about a person before than [I did about] her."
"It took absolutely nothing out of me to shoot out a tweet saying that she was my Juliet."

She also added that the actor is "one of the most talented young actresses working in London theater."

People on social media applauded Zegler for once again standing up for someone who others feel the need to cowardly tear down.










At the end of the day, Zegler noted, being kind is not difficult but makes a world of difference.

"All it takes is one word of kindness."
"And she was extremely thankful, and that is very beautiful of her. But it took absolutely nothing out of me, and I told her not to thank me for that."
"It is basic human decency and basic kindness."

But she also added the compliments are well deserved.

"She got such rave reviews in that for a reason. She's a f**king titan."
"I love her dearly, and I can't wait to see the things she does."

More from Entertainment/celebrities

Sarah Jessica Parker
Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Sarah Jessica Parker Claps Back At Conservative Critics Who Want Her To 'Shut Up' About Politics And 'Act'

Nothing seems to get conservatives' goats quite like celebrities having political opinions—well, liberal and leftist celebrities, anyway.

They seem to love it when weird right-wing celebs like Kevin Sorbo get on the internet and say bizarre, usually counterfactual nonsense, or when JK Rowling does her darnedest to make her legacy not about Harry Potter but about her weird obsession with trans people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ann Coulter
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Ann Coulter Faces Fierce Backlash After Saying 'We Didn't Kill Enough Indians' In Deleted Post

Far-right provocateur Ann Coulter is facing fierce criticism after she made a genocidal remark in a now-deleted post on X in response to University of Minnesota professor and Navajo Nation member Melanie Yazzie's speech about colonization.

Yazzie, in a speech at last year's annual Socialism Conference, said "decolonization is the only thing that is going to save us as a species" during a panel hosted by Red Nation, a Native American nonprofit that advocates for Palestinian and Native American rights. She also said that the United States is the "greatest predator empire that has ever existed" and said it should be dismantled.

Keep ReadingShow less
James Gunn
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage

James Gunn Bluntly Fires Back At 'Jerks' Who Criticize Superman's Pro-Immigrant Themes

Superman director James Gunn issued a response to the "jerks" who criticize the political themes inherent to the superhero's story, expressing his hope that seeing the movie will "make people a little nicer."

Speaking with The Times of London, Gunn stressed that the story of Superman is more relevant than ever considering the ongoing political turmoil in the United States largely centered around the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Keep ReadingShow less

Things People Do In Relationships That Seem Sweet But Are Actually Toxic

Content Warning: Controlling and Toxic Relationship Behaviors

We've all either been involved in or witnessed a relationship where we saw something that we thought was cute or sweet at first, but we eventually found the behavior to be troubling or "too much."

Keep ReadingShow less
A piggy bank surrounded by loose change.
coin bank

'Poor Person Habits' People Won't Give Up No Matter How Rich They Get

When money is tight, we look for every possible way to avoid spending it.

As much as we might find ourselves missing out on some of the nicer things life has to offer, we find ourselves contented by the fact that we will always have enough money in our bank accounts to pay our bills on time.

Keep ReadingShow less