Christian actress is suing theatre and agents because she's homophobic

[Beseigedbykillersquirrels]

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Has anyone been following this in the news? From what I can make out, this homophobic actress was dismissed from a role she would have refused to play had she read the script before accepting because the character she was signed to play was gay. She has previously shared homophobic posts on social media, didn't tell her agents she would refuse to play gay roles and she's now suing for hurt feelings and damage to reputation. AIBU to think she's damaged her own bloody reputation?!

I think she's being a massive twat.

Any damage to her reputation is entirely of her own making, she should have read the script, she should have been aware before accepting the role for the potential for it to be played that way (its hardly an obscure work!) and asked, and she shouldn't be making homophobic comments on social media or indeed, anywhere else.

Imagine having an opportunity like that and completely flushing it down the toilet. Embarrassing.

Perhaps theatre isn’t the industry for her, given its large gay community!

On the other hand, at this stage I suspect that the entire theatrical world has her name on a board somewhere, and I doubt it will be for hiring.

Yes, I can't see many theatre companies or agents being desperate to take her on now, I think she's fucked herself. It's just the cheek of her, saying she's being persecuted for her beliefs...that it's ok to persecute gay people? Isn't she disgusting.

Celia is ‘sometimes portrayed as a lesbian’? This I don’t get. She has a long lasting same sex relationship. How could you portray her any other way?
Actress should have read the script.

I may be missing something but I just cannot see how any of this is not her own fault. I think she's really making a fool of herself, which she thoroughly deserves.

So she didn't read the script or read anything about the character but somehow it's not her fault?

Idiot.

I see she is being defended by Christian Concern, which was set up by her father. Hmmm.

What a dickhead!

@Aalvarino

I see she is being defended by Christian Concern, which was set up by her father. Hmmm.

Vile organisation.

This is going to go so well for her.

I doubt if she'll work as an actress again.

Actors often get hired without seeing scripts though - sometimes there might not even be a script. It sounds like she had told her agent she would not play a lesbian role, and somehow the agent didn't think it was relevant?

I'd have thought in a case like this the best thing would have been to just go their separate ways.

Who is she sueing for damage to her reputation? Is she sueing herself?

In her defense she does work in theatre, an industry renowned for it's heterosexuality.

An actress we'll never hear of again.

She could have played Celie, what an honour.

She's just shot herself right in the foot, how embarrassing.

She didn't read the script

I'm not sure that being openly homophobic is a good move when you work in theatre

I don’t understand what grounds she’s suing them on seeing as she doesn’t want to play lesbian roles anyway.

Is she seriously saying that it’s her agent’s legal responsibility not to put her in situations where she might embarrass herself with her own homophobia?

Weird!

I’ve followed this since the start. It’s really interesting legally.

It was initially reported that Seyi was sacked because she refused to redact/apologise for a tweet she write several years ago. I read the tweet, I certainly do not agree with her point of view in the tweet but it was not hateful. It expressed her opinion that god loves everyone but homosexuality is wrong.

She got absolutely trounced and The Curve decided to replace her. I felt that she was in a strong position legally as she was clearly sacked for a protected characteristic (religion). It wasn’t like she was advocating all gays be stoned or something.

However I think her statement in court about not having read the script until recently (funny that when she played Nettie in a concert version at Cadogan Hall) & that she would not play Celie as a lesbian, gives the production the ammunition they needed. If an actress hasn’t prepared properly for the role and refuses to play the part as the director wishes then that’s her not fulfilling her job. So she may well lose the case.

My personal theory is that she knew what was involved in the show but that once her father found out she had to pretend to him and his church that she didn’t. She’d have been brainwashed since a young child and the consequences to her of going against her family and the emotional baggage would have been immense.

She will never work again. EVERYONE in the theatre world knows her name. Her card is marked.

And the sad thing is she was an immense talent. But her family has screwed her up. Maybe one day she will find the strength to go against them. But I think it’s too late for her career now.

@ChestnutStuffing

Actors often get hired without seeing scripts though - sometimes there might not even be a script. It sounds like she had told her agent she would not play a lesbian role, and somehow the agent didn't think it was relevant?

I'd have thought in a case like this the best thing would have been to just go their separate ways.

The Colour Purple is an iconic show. Half the kids at my sons school trot out ‘I’m Here’ at concerts (despite their obvious whiteness but that’s by the by).

And she’d performed in the show before as a different character.

She's a disgrace.

Celie is such an icon. No time for this yoke and her homophobic ways.

She's made her bed, she can lie in it.

I have to admit that I haven't seen the film. Her lawyer claims that the part isn't played as a lesbian in the film. Is he right?