Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story actor, Arséma Thomas, has urged Tom Holland to speak out in support of his Romeo and Juliet co-star after a “barrage of deplorable racial abuse” was directed to her online.
Black British actor Frances Amewudah-Rivers has been cast as Juliet alongside Holland’s Romeo in director Jamie Lloyd’s upcoming production of Shakespeare’s tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet.
Following the announcement of Amewudah-Rivers’s casting, some social media trolls berated the actor with racial abuse and criticised the decision.
The Jamie Lloyd Company, which is producing Romeo and Juliet, issued a statement condemning the abuse last week, clearly stating: “This must stop.”
The message continued: “We are working with a remarkable group of artists. We insist that they are free to create work without facing online harassment.”
Now, Thomas, who portrayed Lady Agatha Danbury in the period drama series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, has taken to Instagram to share a plea from HBO actor Selina Jones urging Holland to also speak up on his co-star’s behalf.
Jones’s original post read: “You lot need to put pressure pon @tomholland2023’s head top. I need my guy to say something, ANYTHING, about the disgusting racial abuse being thrown at our angel Fran.”
Thomas then shared the post to her story, captioning it “So bloody true @selinasjones”.
Elsewhere, users of X (formerly Twitter) agreed that the Spider-Man star needed to address the abuse.
One person wrote: “I hope he talks about it, the abuse she’s receiving is so disgusting and unfair. Idk why people can’t accept that she got that role based on her talent.”
A different X user agreed that it was “weird” he hadn’t “said anything”, while another added:“I loved Tom but for him to be silent about the abuse towards his co-worker is crazy.”
After the recent casting announcement, Holland stated that he was “beyond excited” to play Romeo, writing: “I can’t wait to get started and I know we’ll create something really special together.”
The Independent has approached representatives of Tom Holland for further comment.
Amewudah-Rivers, who will be making her West End debut as Juliet, said that she is “grateful” for the role, and is “excited to bring a fresh energy to this story alongside Tom and to welcome new audiences to the theatre”.
Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays and is believed to have been written between 1591 and 1595.
The story of the star-crossed lovers has been adapted on stage numerous times in recent years, with last year’s production by the Almeida Theatre featuring Toheeb Jimoh and Isis Hainsworth.
Holland and Amewudah-Rivers’s version will run from 11 May to 3 August at London’s Duke of York Theatre.
