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From one Juliet to another, Rachel Zegler is speaking up about the tragic treatment of West End star Francesca Amewudah-Rivers.
As the Golden Globe winner makes her Broadway debut in the Romeo + Juliet revival, opening Thursday at Circle in the Square Theatre for a 16-week engagement, Zegler called out the racist abuse her predecessor received and the lack of protection she was provided.
After they were connected by her Snow White co-star Dujonna Gift, Zegler noted she texted her support to Amewudah-Rivers. “She responded and vocalized her thanks for people who stood up for her in the time where everybody was tearing her down,” she told Teen Vogue.
“I think she was failed by the people around her,” added Zegler. “You need to protect people when you make a vow to cast them in something where you know— you can’t act stupid, you know how the general public is going to act because they’ve been acting that way for years.”
As her co-star Kit Connor said, “And even if you are naive enough to think that that won’t happen, then when it does, react.”
Zegler added, “Then when it does, you need to f—ing say something. You need to move quickly and make sure that she is protected. I’ve never seen such heinous things said about a person before than [I did about] her. It took absolutely nothing out of me to shoot out a tweet saying that she was my Juliet.”
The West Side Story star said of their exchange, “It is basic human decency and basic kindness. She got such rave reviews in that for a reason. She’s a f—ing titan. I love her dearly, and I can’t wait to see the things she does.”
Following a barrage of abuse from fans after her casting was announced alongside Tom Holland in March, the West End’s Jamie Lloyd Company condemned the “deplorable racial abuse” against Amewudah-Rivers.
“This must stop,” the producers said. “We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment. We will continue to support and protect everyone in our company at all costs. Any abuse will not be tolerated and will be reported. Bullying and harassment have no place online, in our industry or in our wider communities.”
A group of more than 880 Black actresses also signed an open letter decrying the “twisted ugly abuse,” adding in part: “Too many times theatre companies, broadcasters, producers and streamers have failed to offer any help or support when their Black artists face racist or misogynistic abuse. Reporting is too often left on the shoulders of the abused, who are also then expected to promote said show.
“We want to send a clear message to Francesca and all Black women performers who face this kind of abuse – we see you,” they said. “We see the art you manage to produce with not only the pressures that your white colleagues face but with the added traumatic hurdle of misogynoir.”
