The highly anticipated new season of the Netflix hit series: You is available on the streaming platform. In the third season, we watch Joe Goldberg, our favorite tv stalker, try to live as a husband and a dad in the posh neighborhood called Madre Linda. However, things get violent quickly. You is not known for its diversity. Nevertheless, a character that quickly became one of the most beloved of the series thoughtfully explores diversity.
What Is The Show About?
The series tells the story of Joe Goldberg, played by Penn Badgley, a serial killer and stalker in search of true love. He meets – and kills – a few women as the episodes go by. This year we get to see him with the same partner from the previous season, Love, played by Victoria Pedretti, but soon his obsession turns elsewhere. One of the few tv series that has the title of fresh by the website Rotten Tomatoes in every season, You let us dive into the brain of a stalker.
You, having a majority white cast and crew, is not known for being diverse. However, is one of the few shows worried about being true to diversity and disabilities. In season two, the deaf actor Daniel Durant plays Love’s first husband, James. He does not have much screen time during the season, having already passed away – suspiciously – a few years before the story. Sara Gamble, the showrunner, told in a panel with the Badgley and the writer of the book the series is based on, Caroline Kepnes, that she and the other writers knew they wanted a deaf actor to play the part more truthfully. Because of it, she said she specifically asked for the casting directors to search for deaf actors, and so they chose Daniel for the part, which he did brilliantly.
How Does You Portrays Disabilities?
In season three, there was another character that had a disability. Dante, one of Joe’s work colleagues, is blind. The actor that plays him, Ben Mehl, has a rare degenerative condition called Stargardt’s disease. He is legally blind, even though he is not completely blind. Because of that, he worked with specialists and did a lot of research to be able to play the role properly.
“It was very important for me to learn how to be accurate in my representation of him. I trained with an orientation and mobility specialist to learn the proper techniques for using a white cane.”
An interesting element is that both these characters’ disabilities don’t define them. James does not struggle with his deafness, and neither does Dante with his blindness. Mehl said that Sara Gamble was inspired by her blind godfather when creating the role. She wanted to have a blind character because they don’t usually get a lot of representation.
“My role on You is my first role where I haven’t had to pretend to be able to see more than I actually can.” Mehl, Actor.
You has been an audience favorite since the release of the first season in 2018. The care and thought brought to every storyline and character only enhances the likeability of the show. Tv shows that are as critically acclaimed as this one should use their platform to promote diversity in all shapes and colors.
If you want to see the diversity in leadership roles in the show You, please check out this article: https://insight.balancenow.co/how-diverse-is-you/
