Alison Brie says she regrets voicing Diane Nguyen, a Vietnamese American character, on adult animated sitcom BoJack Horseman.
"In hindsight, I wish that I didn't voice the character of Diane Nguyen. I now understand that people of color should always voice people of color. We missed a great opportunity to represent the Vietnamese American community accurately and respectfully, and for that I am truly sorry."
"I applaud all those who stepped away from their voiceover roles in recent days. I have learned a lot from them," Brie posted on her Instagram account on Friday night. 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.
Brie's comments on her character come after several actors have stepped down from voicing people of color on animated shows.
On June 24, Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell announced they'd be exiting their voice roles as biracial characters on Big Mouth and Central Park, respectively. Mike Henry, who voiced Cleveland Brown on Family Guy since 1999, gave up his role on June 26.
The Simpsons producers also issued a statement saying they'd no longer allow white actors to voice non-white characters on the series. For many years, the show drew controversy for Hank Azaria's portrayal of the Indian character Apu. – Reuters
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