Meral Polat speaks out about stereotyping roles through the Black Lives Matter movement, she tells Friday de Volkskrant. The actress, theater maker and singer, known for her role as Mel in the satirical series The Lice Mother, has become more aware of its responsibility as a maker in the creative industry through the movement.
“I am becoming more aware of the consequences of that inequality in everyday life,” said Polat of the Black Lives Matter movement’s goal of eradicating racism and discrimination.
“Only now do I think: wait a minute, this is not normal and I have never opened my mouth about it. I started to think: what else do I accept that are not right?”
“In the theater or film world it is sometimes said about a role: ‘We need a few more black faces in the palette of the characters,'” Polat cites as an example. “Or you notice that a character was created only to make a joke about it.”
“I have hardly ever accepted this kind of stereotyping role myself, but I did not approach a director or producer about it. I do now.”
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