Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s acclaimed play, will arrive in London this year with a new remake of the production, this time starring Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers. The news immediately went viral on social media, but not precisely for the milestone represented by Francesca’s inclusion in the play, but quite the opposite. The internet was filled with strong criticism and negative comments from various users who labeled Amewudah-Rivers’ participation in the play as forced inclusion, as the role of young Juliet in the book is described as a Caucasian 16-year-old.
Hundreds of people claimed that making this significant change to the play completely breaks with William Shakespeare’s conception of his characters, and under this argument, some resorted to making racist comments. However, despite the negativity from some of the public, the reality is that Romeo and Juliet is one of the most adapted plays in the world, so throughout history, there have been versions that are far from adhering to the original work.
The book was brought to the theater by Japanese companies and to the cinema, under Baz Luhrmann’s direction in 1996, with a proposal that diverged greatly from the traditional, as even Mercutio, the son of the Prince of Verona, was portrayed by Harold Perrineau, an African-American actor. Furthermore, if the aim were to make a faithful interpretation of the original work, both actors would have to be between 14 and 18 years old, as that was the age range that Romeo and Juliet truly have in the book.
Who Is Francesca Amewudah-Rivers?
Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, the new lead of Romeo and Juliet, is an English actress with Ghanaian ancestry. She studied music at the University of Oxford and shortly after attended the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. The actress has had the opportunity to work on projects with Shakespeare’s Globe and Actors Touring Company. One of her most well-known projects was her participation in the British series Bad Education, released in 2012.
This story was written in Spanish by Mariana Martell in Cultura Colectiva.
