Zoë Kravitz, the star of Hulu’s recent High Fidelity adaptation series, has criticised the streaming service’s decision to cancel the show after just one season. In particular, Kravitz has pointed out a lack of diversity on the platform.
Last week, after it was announced the show would not be renewed for a second season, Kravitz took to Instagram, sharing a photo of her fellow cast and writing, “Thank you for all the love and heart you put into this show. I’m in awe of all of you. And thank you to everyone who watched, loved and supported us.”
Actress Tessa Thompson commented on the post, saying, “I will miss you alllllllllllll so much”, prompting Kravitz to make her feelings on the show’s cancellation clear.
“It’s cool. At least Hulu has a ton of other shows starring women of color we can watch. Oh wait,” she replied.
As Vogue points out, Hulu has a handful of series that feature diverse casts – such as Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Ramy – but the majority of leads in those series are male. Little Fires Everywhere is the only original scripted series on the platform besides High Fidelity that features a Black woman as the lead, Kerry Washington.
The show, which premiered earlier this year, was a reimagining of Nick Hornby’s 1995 book and its 2000 film adaptation, about the owner of a failing record store whose breakup sees them spiralling down a journey of past romances and self-reflection. While the film’s protagonist was portrayed by John Cusack, the television series imagined the character of Rob as a queer, Black woman, portrayed by Kravitz.
Earlier this year, Kravitz spoke about the feedback she’d received from viewers who felt represented by the adaptation.
“The amount of comments, DMs, things on Twitter, articles written about Brown women who love music, were afraid of commitment, who’ve never seen a person like them on television — they feel seen for the first time,” she told Variety and iHeartRadio‘s ‘The Big Ticket’ podcast.
“I have a friend who — one of his best friends loves punk music and is gay — it’s like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m watching a gay man in a Minor Threat shirt. I’ve never seen that before.’ Just breaking away from the stereotypes, I feel like people need that. So I feel very lucky to have been able to deliver that, because one of the most important things for me was authenticity and bringing a real world to life.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5bkbfdVzbI
