Romeo & Juliet actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers faces racism

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We were well aware that a segment of modern fan bases consists of some of the most toxic individuals ever to be granted a birth certificate. That said, we didn’t have toxic Shakespeare fans on our 2024 BINGO cards.

EW recently reported on the vitriolic racist backlash that Black actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers has been suffering since it was announced that she would play Juliet alongside Tom Holland’s Romeo in West End’s new production of the classic romantic tragedy Romeo & Juliet. Things got so ugly that the play’s producers, The Jamie Lloyd Company, had to release a public statement condemning the hatred.

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Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racist abuse online directed toward a member of our company. This must stop. We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they be free to create without facing online harassment. 

You can read the rest of their statement in the Instagram post below.

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The Duke of York Theater where the play will be hosted also amplified the message on their social media platforms.

Romeo & Juliet actress Francesca Amewudah-Rivers faces racism

Source: Ian West – PA Images / Getty

For those who aren’t familiar with Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, we direct you to the two season she spent playing “Blessing” on Jack Whitehall’s Bad Education in addition to her on-stage work in School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play and her role in Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.

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