Hate on the net

Racist attacks on Tom Holland’s “Juliet”

Francesca Amewudah-Rivers was cast as Julia and is now being subjected to racist attacks.(Bild: Ian West / PA / picturedesk.com)

"Spider-Man" star Tom Holland will be on stage in London from May in the play "Romeo & Juliet" in the title role. His Juliet will be played by "Bad Education" star Francesca Amewudah-Rivers. Following racist attacks on the young actress, there is a wave of solidarity.

Following the announcement of the casting, Amewudah-Rivers faced fierce online hostility. The Jamie Lloyd Company, which is behind the theater production, then published a statement on social media condemning the "flood of vile racist abuse online against a member of our company" and asking: "This has to stop ..."

However, support has now also been expressed by 800 black and non-binary actors and actresses who have signed an open letter condemning Francesca Amewudah-Rivers' racist online abuse.

"Racist and misogynistic"
The letter, which was published in "The Guardian" newspaper on Wednesday, is the result of an initiative by "Enola Holmes" actress Susan Wokoma and "Crowning Glory" playwright Somalia Nonyé Seaton.

"The racist and misogynistic abuse directed at such a kind soul was intolerable," the letter reads.

"For the cast announcement of a play to elicit such twisted, ugly abuse is truly embarrassing for those who are so empty and barren in their own lives that they must engage in hateful name-calling. Too often, black performers - especially black actresses - have to face the storm of online abuse after committing the crime of trying to get a job on their own merits."

Among the hundreds who have signed the letter are "James Bond" and Marvel star Lashana Lynch, Freema Agyeman ("Doctor Who"), Sheila Atim ("The Woman King"), Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste ("Secrets and Lies") and Lolly Adefope ("Ghosts").

Amewudah-Rivers will star alongside "Spider-Man" star Holland in the Jamie Lloyd Company's production of the Shakespeare classic, which premieres this summer at London's Duke of York's Theatre. The play is already sold out.

Similar hostility was also experienced by actresses Jodie Turner-Smith, who played the title character in the 2021 mini-series "Anne Boleyn", and Halle Bailey, who came to the cinema in 2023 as "Ariel the Mermaid".

Rumors that Avantika Vandanapu, who was born in India, would play Rapunzel in a Disney live-action adaptation have not yet been confirmed.