Elle: This Is What 'Riverdale' Actress Bernadette Beck Thinks of Her Being Cast on the Hit TV Series

The actress opened up in an interview for Elle Magazine about what she thinks of her character in the popular series and how it affects Black actresses in the business and the image they portray to the public.

26-year-old "Riverdale" series actress, Bernadette Beck has come forward in an interview to talk about her experience as a Black actress in the hit Netflix show, "Riverdale," and how her character is considered and treated differently from those played by her White castmates.

Facing the Black Lives Matter movement, many artists have started to talk about their own experiences in their jobs and how racism spreads and manifests in the television and movie industry.

BLACK ACTRESS

Beck, who plays Peaches N’ Cream in Riverdale’s seasons 3 and 4, confessed that her character, which she usually plays in the back of the scenes, does not have a background or a back story which makes her role not only empty but ends up being considered negative.

The actress also mentioned that she often did not receive any directions on where she was supposed to be standing in a scene. These actions made her feel invisible or forgotten several times. “I was, for no reason, depicted in a very negative, unattractive light (..) I feel like I was just there to fulfill a diversity quota,” she said.

Beck, who was also cast for being bisexual but featured in wordless, hypersexualized scenes also pointed out the importance that series characters have on young fans as role models and its impact on the artists’ future careers.

So, at a time when White actors and actresses are getting more attention and better roles, the actress said:

“If we don’t necessarily get that, and we’re looked at with disdain, what does that do to us and how does that stain our reputation moving forward?”

NOT THE ONLY ONE

Becks’ declarations come two months after her former Riverdale costar, 28-year-old Vanessa Morgan, who has been portraying Toni Topaz since the show’s second season, claimed in a social media post her displeasure on working in the show.

The actress said that the show’s writers and director use Black characters to represent diversity but that they actually portray “sidekick non-dimensional characters to our white leads,” she tweeted. She also mentioned that as a regular cast member, she is the least paid.

In this situation, creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa took to social media to publicly apologize to Morgan in a post in which he recognized her statement and he promised “to honor her and the character she plays. As well as all of our actors and characters of color,” according to what he wrote.