Rizwan Manji, the actor who has worked in Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek, has said that his character Ray Butani’s accent was “slight” and suited the character, who was “probably Indian or Pakistani”, reported USA Today.
Manji was responding to comments about his character’s Indian accent in an interview with the Toronto Star on Tuesday.
Although Schitt’s Creek has won acclaim for its portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters, many on social media have said that Manji’s accent in the show was offensive and unnecessary.
Manji plays the role of Ray Butani, a local businessman who is originally from India, who sells everything from real estate to travel deals and Christmas trees in Schitt’s Creek. While Manji, who hails from Canada, has no Indian accent in real life, his character does have an Indian or Pakistani accent.
On October 3, one user, Rishi Maharaj, tweeted, “Why go to the effort of writing in a character with an Indian name played by an Indian actor whose main personality trait is that he is stupid and has an accent? Why did Rizwan Manji have to do that?”
On Tuesday, Manji told Toronto Star in an interview, reported USA Today, “The character of Ray had a ‘slight’ Indian accent just as somebody who was raised in Canada but was born probably in India or Pakistan.” Manji clarified that he had not been asked by the show’s creators to speak with an accent during his audition for the role.
Manji said, “If you want to criticize something, do that,” while adding, “We need to have three-dimensional characters.”
According to an LA Times report, Manji asked why white performers, like Meryl Streep, were “not subject to the same level of scrutiny when adopting accents for roles”.
Meanwhile, Schitt’s Creek writer and star Dan Levy told the Toronto Star that Manji had made a “thoughtful choice” in his portrayal of the character.
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Levy said, “No accent was called for in the casting or specified in the script. All characters on our show were created with love, respect and humanity. It has been gratifying to have these intentions reflected through the overwhelming audience support for these characters. That said, I welcome any perspectives that encourage conversations about diversity, especially in entertainment.”
With 80 episodes over six seasons, Schitt’s Creek has won seven awards at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards this year. The show is about a formerly wealthy family of four, who have to cope with life in a small town after they lose their family fortune.
Schitt’s Creek aired on CBC Television between January 13, 2015, and April 7, 2020. The show also stars Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, Jennifer Robertson, Tim Rozon, Emily Hampshire, Chris Elliott, Dustin Milligan, Sarah Levy, John Hemphill, Karen Robinson, and Noah Reid.