Alison Brie says she regrets voicing Diane Nguyen, a Vietnamese American character, on adult animated sitcom BoJack Horseman. She posted on Instagram Friday expressing regret over voicing the character of Diane Nguyen. In the statement, Brie says “We missed a great opportunity to represent the Vietnamese-American community accurately and respectfully.”
Brie’s comments on her character come after several actors have stepped down from voicing people of color on animated shows. Many white actors announced this week that they are stepping down from voicing their animated POC characters, including Family Guy’s Mike Henry, Central Park’s Kristen Bell and Big Mouth‘s Jenny Slate. Brie is the latest to follow the line.
BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg also commented on Brie’s casting earlier in the week on Twitter. He admitted there was never a Vietnamese writer on the show, but he did hire a Vietnamese consultant for an episode in which Diane visits the country. “We should have hired a Vietnamese writer and a Vietnamese actress to play Diane – or if not that, changed the character to match who we did hire,” Bob-Waksberg wrote.
The Simpsons too announced that the show will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters. Hank Azaria has been the voice of the Black character Carlton Carlson. He also was known for voicing Apu, a character which has long been criticised for its stereotypical depiction of an Indian immigrant. Azaria announced in January that he would no longer play the character.
