There is no reasonable person who can deny the cultural impact that The Office has had on audiences across the world. The American version of the show won 30 awards while it aired. Countries from all over the world have offered their take on the British original Ricky Gervais series from 2001 like Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia. Now Australia is setting out to produce their own remake of the show but I can’t help but worry for its lead actress.
According to Deadline, Australian comedienne Felicity Ward is set to star in this female-led comedy. A woman who has publically discussed the fact on BBC Radio 4 that she suffers from anxiety, depression, and insomnia. And I just can’t help but question if Amazon Prime is ready to actually support her when this remake comes out from all of the misogynistic trolls and fans of The Office who are bound to crawl out of the woodwork the moment the show airs. It’s hard not to worry for Felicity as this process has already literally begun with human slimeballs like Ben Shapiro trying to rally the hateful troops against the show.
In a just world, actresses wouldn’t have to worry about the extreme level of vitriol levied at them for simply taking part in a reboot, remake, or continuation of a beloved series. Women deserve to have shows with ladies in the leading role and actresses shouldn’t have to step up to take on these projects with the fear of a target immediately being placed on their back. But we’ve seen this happen time and time again, and I was immediately reminded of 2016’s Ghostbusters upon seeing this new show announced.
Have we all so quickly forgotten the horrors that Leslie Jones was put through after that movie came out? As she put it herself on Twitter, “I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart. All this cause I did a movie. You can hate the movie but the shit I got today… wrong.” I hope people haven’t already forgotten when Kelly Marie Tran deleted her own Instagram due to the harassment she received for simply being in a Star Wars film. Of course, these prior examples both feature women of color where racism is also an undeniable component in the harassment campaigns led again them. But Star Wars also still proves that misogynistic fans can be incredibly cruel to white actresses online with the treatment of Daisy Ridley.
With how these other leading ladies have been treated it’s not unfair to ask if Amazon is properly ready to offer Felicity Ward the support she may need if the worst kinds of The Office fans decide to swarm her on social media. To Amazon’s credit, it does have a history of condemning trolls like when Rings of Power was released. I just think it’s important that fans of television and film the world over make it clear to these huge companies that we expect them to have the backs of actresses who take on these kinds of projects.
Because, honestly – I can’t wait to see this remake of The Office! The premise of “a work-from-home environment leaving a manager scrambling” promised by the show sounds extremely relatable and bursting with opportunities for comedic moments. Felicity Ward has won awards for her comedy. I’m certain she’ll be able to bring something special to the series with her unique perspectives alongside the laughs.
I just want to make sure at the end of the day, she can sleep easy without the weight of that cacophony the internet’s worst can create on her shoulders. Let’s make sure Amazon offers Felicity all the support she needs and that us reasonable TV fans are ready to have her back against any ill-conceived criticism this show may have simply because she’s taken the leading role.