Popular period drama Bridgeton returns to Netflix for its second series on Friday 25th March with two of its lead characters portrayed by actresses Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran, who are of South Asian heritage.
The first series which featured several Black characters, has been widely praised for the diversity of its cast and for making historical dramas more diverse, which is largely a result of the producer, Chris Van Dusen’s, vision for the show and ‘conscious casting’. The casting practice meant a person’s skin colour played no part in the decision to cast them in a role but where a character’s race could still play a part in their story.
“The show’s intentionally inclusive world — one where every viewer, no matter who they are, could see themselves onscreen. A world that’s not color-blind, as some have suggested, but one that’s color-conscious” – Chris Van Dusen
We hope to see lots more South Asian actors in prominent television roles, outside of supporting roles or playing a stereotype, to inspire aspiring actors and help towards closing the gap for South Asian representation on screen.
