Marta Kauffman Reveals She’s Reflected on Friends’ Lack of Diversity Over the Years
co-creator of friends (1994), Marta Kauffman made a $4 million donation to African American Studies as an apology for the series’ lack of representation. THE sitcom has been criticized over the years for featuring predominantly white characters.
Kauffmanwho is also co-creator of the series Grace and Frankie (2015) from Netflix, intends to donate the money to the Department of African American Studies at Brandeis University in Boston, United States. In an interview with Los Angeles Timesshe said the change came from the heart after the series’ criticism and the death of George Floyd by US police in 2020.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” he said. “Admitting and accepting blame is not easy. It’s painful to look at you in the mirror. I’m embarrassed I didn’t know this 25 years ago.”
Creator added: “It took a long time for me to understand what the racist system is internalized. I have worked very hard to become an ally, an anti-racist. And that seems to be the way I can participate in the discussion from a white woman’s point of view.”
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This is not the first time the lack of diversity in friends is discussed. the co-creator David Bright also spoke about it in an interview with The Hollywood Reportersaying he had no intention of putting together an all-white main cast.
“It’s important for shows these days to reflect society as it really is,” he said. “But from our experience, from the three of us, it may be what we experienced when we were younger in New York. But we didn’t intend to have an all-white cast. That was not our goal. Obviously, the chemistry between the six actors speaks for itself.”
He added: “I would be crazy not to hire these six actors. What can I say? That I wanted Lisa to be black? I loved this cast. I loved the series and I loved the experience.”
With Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc, friends accompanies a group of friends in New York City. The series is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, totaling 10 seasons and a special on HBO Max.
Source: Rollingstone
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
