CENTRAL PARK to Recast Kristen Bell’s Molly

CENTRAL PARK’s Molly will no longer be played by Kristen Bell, the producers announced via a lengthy statement.

“After reflection, Kristen, along with the entire creative team, recognizes that the casting of the character of Molly is an opportunity to get representation right—to cast a Black or mixed race actress and give Molly a voice that resonates with all of the nuance and experiences of the character as we’ve drawn her,” they said. “Kristen will continue to be a part of the show in a new role but we will find a new actress to lend her voice to Molly.”

Executive producer Loren Bouchard previously defended Bell’s casting—when questioned about using male actors for female roles—during the show’s Television Critics Association panel in January. “We also have Kirsten playing a mixed race girl, and we’re always trying to both honor the urge to fool around and have fun with animation, and also just balance that s— out,” he said at the time. “Get women of color in the cast, in the writers’ room, so that you feel at least that you’re always giving into the urge because you think there’s something there, some spark, something. She’s gonna honor that character. Kristen needed to be Molly—like we couldn’t not make her Molly. But then we couldn’t make Molly white, and we couldn’t make Kristen mixed race, so we just had to go forward. And then you arrive there and you say well, what do we do now? You gotta just keep doing as best you can to balance, to turn around and give someone an opportunity who wasn’t getting it. And for me it’s just a commitment—it’s selfish too, by the way. A commitment to diversity isn’t some job, it’s a commitment to making your stuff better. So it’s a selfish urge you just wanna keep making everything as good as it can be.”

Here’s the full statement:

“Kristen Bell is an extraordinarily talented actress who joined the cast of CENTRAL PARK from nearly the first day of the show’s development—before there was even a character for her to play—and she has since delivered a funny, heartfelt, and beautiful performance.

But after reflection, Kristen, along with the entire creative team, recognizes that the casting of the character of Molly is an opportunity to get representation right—to cast a Black or mixed race actress and give Molly a voice that resonates with all of the nuance and experiences of the character as we’ve drawn her. Kristen will continue to be a part of the show in a new role but we will find a new actress to lend her voice to Molly.

We profoundly regret that we might have contributed to anyone’s feeling of exclusion or erasure.

Black people and people of color have worked and will continue to work on CENTRAL PARK but we can do better. We’re committed to creating opportunities for people of color and Black people in all roles, on all our projects—behind the mic, in the writers room, in production, and in post-production. Animation will be stronger for having as many voices, experiences, and perspectives as we can possibly bring into the industry. Our shop and our show will be better for respecting the nuances and complexity around the issue of representation and trying to get it right.”

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