Kristen Bell to no longer voice mixed-race character on Central Park

June 25th 2020, 9:53am

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Following in the footsteps of Jenny Slate's decision to not voice her bi-racial character on Big Mouth anymore, Kristen Bell will no longer voice Molly, a mixed-race character on Apple TV+'s animated musical comedy series Central Park. Bell will be staying on the series but will voice a new character on the show.

Apparently the decision to do this has been in the works for a while. In the case of the Jenny Slate situation on Big Mouth, her character of Missy will be recast to be voiced by a Black actor. The assumption is that the same move will be made with Bell's character Molly in Central Park. Bell called playing Molly an "act of complicity" that "shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege.":

"Casting a mixed-race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed race and Black American experience. It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right. I am happy to relinquish this role to someone who can give a much more accurate portrayal and I will commit to learning, growing and doing my part for equality and inclusion."

Central Park, which also features the vocal talents of Josh Gad, Kathryn Hahn, Titus Burgess, Leslie Odom Jr., Stanley Tucci, and Daveed Diggs, centers on Owen, the park manager, and Paige, his journalist wife, who raise their kids Molly and Cole in the world's most famous park, while fending off hotel heiress Bitsy Brandenham and her long-suffering assistant Helen, who would love nothing more than to turn the park into condos. The Central Park executive producers also weighed in with a lengthy statement that further explains their decision to make this casting call right for future seasons of the show. The statement can be viewed via Kristen Bell's Instagram post below:

View this post on Instagram

This is a time to acknowledge our acts of complicity. Here is one of mine. Playing the character of Molly on Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege. Casting a mixed race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed race and Black American experience. It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right. I am happy to relinquish this role to someone who can give a much more accurate portrayal and I will commit to learning, growing and doing my part for equality and inclusion.

A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Jun 24, 2020 at 3:46pm PDT

Central Park is currently airing the first season of a two-season order on Apple TV+. Due to the lengthy production cycle on an animated series, season 2 has already been recorded and is currently being animated. The intention is to recast Molly for season 2 with the dialogue re-recorded by the new actress that will voice the role.

Do YOU commend the producers of Central Park and Kristen Bell for making this decision?