Rogen And Goldberg Always Wanted A Black Actress To Play Tulip O’Hare
It’s no secret that Hollywood has a major problem with diversity, and it would have been easy to cast the character of Tulip O’Hare just as she appears in the comics: a blonde-haired, hazel-eyed white woman. But Rogen and Goldberg knew from the very beginning that they wanted to break from the source material by putting a black actress in the role.
“We did it intentionally,” said Goldberg. “We just thought having an all-white cast was lame, and it’s also interesting for their love story, because it’s the South.”
“We thought it added to the character, to the story, to the themes,” Rogen continued. “And it made it slightly more of our time in some ways – literally, of 2016 – and allowed us to potentially explore some of the things that are clearly going on in our world and our country. There were really endless reasons to do it, once the idea came up, and literally no reason not to do it.”
Ruth Negga, who landed the role with an audition Goldberg says she “knocked out of the park,” is not only grateful for the opportunity to play such a interesting character, but is also well aware of the significance.
“I think it’s a relief to play someone like her,” she said. “But I also find when I’m watching this, it’s a relief to see someone like her. It’s very important for me, and I’m glad there’s discussion now about visibility, because I think for so long we’ve been so complacent about there not being enough people of color, and I think that conversation needs to keep happening.”