William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet centuries ago but to this day, the play remains one of the most frequently performed and beloved plays of all time. And now, Tom Holland will soon be seen taking up the role of Romeo in the tragic love story in a new West End production directed by Jamie Lloyd. His Juliet will be played by Bad Education actress, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers.
Unfortunately, fans of the entertainment industry are not always kind in their feedback and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers’ casting has proven this once again. The actress has been receiving buck loads of hate for playing Juliet in the upcoming play but thankfully, the producers have got her back as they release a strong statement supporting her and condemning the racist abusers.
Romeo & Juliet’s Producers Hit Back at Haters
Ever since it was announced that Francesca Amewudah-Rivers would be playing one-half of the star-crossed lovers in West End’s production of Romeo and Juliet, the actress has become a subject of trolling and hate on social media simply because fans cannot see their Juliet in her. And we are all well aware of just how brutal things can be on the Internet.
Thankfully, the producers of the show were not one to keep quiet and let things go on. Taking to Instagram, the Jamie Lloyd Company condemned the bombardment of hate and racial abuse Amewudah-Rivers has been receiving, for simply doing her job. The strongly worded statement reads,
“Following the announcement of our Romeo & Juliet cast, there has been a barrage of deplorable racial abuse online directed towards a member of our company. This must stop. 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.”
The statement further adds that the production’s rehearsal room is “full of joy, compassion and kindness” and that the community will “continue to rehearse with generosity and love” no matter what the trolls have to say. Seeing such support from a production company is quite rare and equally commendable! Kudos to Jamie Lloyd and his company for taking a stand for Amewudah-Rivers.
Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers Talk about Romeo & Juliet
After the cast was announced, both Tom Holland and Amewudah-Rivers released their statements talking about just how excited they were about playing one of the most iconic couples ever written. Holland stated,
“Beyond excited to announce our cast for Romeo and Juliet. I can’t wait to get started and I know we’ll create something really special together.”
His co-star added,
“I’m so grateful to be making my West End debut as Juliet with the Jamie Lloyd Company. It’s a dream to be joining this team of incredible artists with Jamie at the helm. I’m excited to bring a fresh energy to this story alongside Tom, and to welcome new audiences to the theatre.”
While Amewudah-Rivers is relatively unknown at this time, she is a theatre actor and was recently seen in Sarah Frankcom’s iteration of Macbeth in 2022. We cannot wait to see her prove the trolls wrong!
Romeo & Juliet will play at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre for a limited 12-week run from 11 May to 3 August.
