Right off the bat, I want to make three things explicitly clear: 1) I am Latino.
- I have actually watchedthe pilot episode of the newCharmed.
Then came the backlash, and not the one you might think.
Madeleine Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffery on Charmed.Jordon Nuttall/The CW
Yes people were upset thatthe newCharmedwas diverting from the original in such a big way.
And minority representation was worse all around when looking at cable and digital scripted programming from that season.)
Okay done with the numbers.
And it irked me that while theOceans Eightteam was wonderfully diverse, there was no Latina in the bunch.
And would it be ideal for the three Latina Charmed Ones to be played by three Latina actresses?
But what would that exactly look like in the casting room?
In another life, I was an actor who regularly went on auditions.
But the alternative is having a sign on the door that says Whites Only.
And I think we can all agree thats not a good look.
We all knowScarlett Johansson isnt transgender…or Japanese.
Casting unknowns is a different situation.
For the average working actor, having a real life can be limiting.
And being an average working actor is hard.
So what should the casting directors and producers of this newCharmedhave done?
I admit I dont actually know what the audition process was like for the show.
I, for one, am glad to see actresses of varying skintones playing the Latina Charmed Ones.
But getting up in arms aboutCharmed?
I just dont think its the right place to focus that anger and energy.
And Im not saying this LatinaCharmed is perfect.
Its okay if you dont agree with me.
