After donating $4 million to Brandeis University as part of it sorry for the lack of diversity in Friendsco-creator Martha Kaufmanwho did the show with david cranealso refers to the misrepresentation of the Charles Bing sitcom Chandler Bing’s (matthew perry) father in the program.
played by kathleen turnerthe show features Charles coming out as gay, divorcing Chandler’s mother, and later moving to Las Vegas, Nevada to perform under the stage name Helena Handbasket.
But aside from brief flashbacks to Chandler’s youth, the character always appears as Helena, leading most fans, including Kauffman, to cast the character as a transgender woman.
Related: 150 Friends Trivia questions and answers for hours of entertainment
Kauffman recently addressed poor transgender representation when she spoke with The conversation on the BBC World Service, as reported by The Telegraph.
She said, “We kept referring to her [Chandler’s transgender parent] as Chandler’s father, even though Chandler’s father was trans. Pronouns were not yet something I understood. So we don’t refer to that character as her. That was a mistake.”
Appearing in five episodes of the series, Turner’s character is continually referenced using male pronouns, and her transgender status is the butt of many jokes on the show.
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Kauffman shared that she now makes a clear effort to ensure that the environment on every show she creates “is a safe place, a tolerant place, where there is no yelling.”
He explained that for the Netflix series grace and frankiethat she created with Howard J Morrisonce “fired a guy on the spot for making a joke about a trans cameraman,” adding: “That just can’t happen.”
Kauffman also spoke more about the lack of people of color in Friends and his feelings of guilt during the interview, noting: “It was clearly part of the systemic racism in our business. I wasn’t aware of that, which makes me feel stupid.”
Referring to public criticism of the show in this regard, Kauffman said, “That was a very valid and extremely difficult criticism that still…excites me.”
In a 2019 interview for Watch What Happens live with Andy CohenA fan called with a question asking Turner “how much did he love playing Chandler’s dad in Friends.”
Although the actor agreed with the presenter Andy CohenFollowing the statement that the role was “pretty groundbreaking” at the time, Turner said, “Of course I wouldn’t do it now, because there would be real people capable of doing it.”
Next, Friends Creator apologizes for show’s lack of diversity by donating $4 million
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