When it comes to legal dramas, there have been a lot of excellent offerings from the TV side of things, and among them, Suits stands out from the rest for being one of the best-executed ones. From the start to the finish, the show was an engaging realization of the world of legal battles and all its nitty-gritty details that the world had never seen before.
But along with providing an amazing drama series, it also managed to get the representation factor of minority groups just right. In the original vision for the series, the role of Jessica Pearson, played by actress Gina Torres, was created as a male character. But unlike representation characters by Marvel Studios, this one was made to leave a lasting impression.
The Role Of Jessica Pearson In Suits Was Representation Done Right
While most might remember the exceptional performances of Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter, or Patrick J. Adams as Michael Ross in Suits, one cannot forget the strong and charming presence of Gina Torres as Jessica Lourdes Pearson in the show. The actress played the role of the former managing partner of Pearson Specter Litt to absolute perfection, making her a hit with the audience.
But the character could also have been a disaster for the show if the showrunners were to have gone with the original decision of making her a man.
You may also like: “I get a little reactionary sometimes”: Gabriel Macht Went Ballistic On Suits Crew After Getting Called Out For His Poor Fashion Choice
In a past interview with EW, the Firefly star opened up about her career that spans decades in the industry. She also touched upon her role in the aforementioned show, where she talked about how the character felt like it was the truly alive one in her career. She also highlighted just how much of a jump she had to make with Pearson in terms of being the center of attraction in every shot.
Keeping it all in mind when giving her performance made the representation of an alpha female character competing against men in a male-dominant profession in the show that much more impactful. She said:
“What I brought to the table being a woman at that time in her 40s, who had been doing the thing she loves for over 20 years informed [Jessica]. She was fully in her body at all times, that is the biggest takeaway from playing that character, and it made her scary to some people. It made her aspirational to other people, sometimes both.”
With such firey complexity that Gina Torres brought with Pearson, Marvel Studios could learn some things when it comes to creating characters of representation in their films.
You may also like: “That was a little scary for me”: Gabriel Macht Became Depressed After His ‘Suits’ Co-Star Left Series Leaving Him All Alone
What Marvel Studios Could Learn In The Aspect Of Representation
While their recent endeavors bringing more characters that represent the minority groups of the world have been largely successful, most of them in the past and some in the present didn’t live up to the standards.
The problem with MCU representing minority groups is the fact that they are such a large franchise that the whole world looks up to with the hope of their culture being showcased on a global stage, which sometimes forces them to add characters from said minorities just for the sake of it. This, in turn, creates more forgettable representative characters than iconic ones, which creates this ultimate problem related to the topic.
Rather than feeling obliged to put different characters in their films from minorities, if they focused on making them substantial, they could do wonders with their films and shows.
You may also like: “He’s totally guilty!”: Gabriel Macht Couldn’t Wait For His Co-star’s Character Mike Ross To Be Outed as a Fraud on Suits
Suits, streaming on Peacock.
