Kristen Bell quits role as mixed-race character in animated series Central Park
The Apple TV Plus show will be recasting the voice of Molly.
Kristen Bell has announced that she will no longer voice a mixed-race character on the musical animation series Central Park.
Bell played Molly on the Apple TV Plus show, which follows a family living in the New York park who must save it from a land developer, alongside Josh Gad, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs and Kathryn Hahn.
In an Instagram post, Bell said: "Playing the character of Molly on Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege.
"Casting a mixed race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed race and Black American experience. 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,’ she added.
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The team behind Central Park have vowed to "do better" in a statement posted by creator Loren Bouchard on Twitter, and announced that Molly will be recast while Bell will take on a new role in the series.
"We profoundly regret that we might have contributed to anyone's feeling of exclusion or erasure," the team said.
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"We're committed to creating opportunities for people of colour and Black people in all roles, on all our projects – behind the mic, in the writers room, in production and in post-production."
Central Park landed on Apple TV Plus in May, with Bob's Burgers creator Bouchard at the helm with Frozen's Gad.
The decision made by Bell and the Central Park team comes as Jenny Slate quits her role on Big Mouth, in which she also played the mixed-race character Missy.
Central Park is available to stream on Apple TV Plus. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
