Will do better to honour actors of colour: 'Riverdale' showrunner apologises to Vanessa Morgan

"Riverdale" showrunner Roberto Aguirre Sacasa has apologised to Vanessa Morgan after she said she was the least-paid actor on the show and the only person of colour on the popular CW series. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests over George Floyd's death, Morgan voiced her frustration on Twitter over the portrayal of the black community in media, saying she is tired to see how her people are depicted as "dangerous" or "angry scary".

In a statement on Twitter, Sacasa acknowledged the actor's concerns and promised to do better by her and Toni Topaz, the name of Morgan's character in the show. "We hear Vanessa. We love Vanessa. She's right. We're sorry and we make the same promise to you that we did to her. We will do better to honour her and the character she plays. As well as all of our actors and characters of colour," he said.

In her tweets, Morgan had also alluded to the characterisation of African Americans on shows as "sidekicks" to the white leads. "Change is happening and will continue to happen. 'Riverdale' will get bigger, not smaller. 'Riverdale' will be part of the movement, not outside it," Sacasa added.

He also revealed that all of the writers at "Riverdale" had made a donation to Black Lives Matter LA chapter, but "we know where the work must happen for us. In the writers' room". Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, died on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in an encounter caught on video. The officer, Derek Chauvin has been charged with murder and manslaughter.

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