VIDEO – TAKING A STAND –
May 6, 2022 – Despite her success and show of range on Saturday Night Live, Aidy Bryant was only offered mediocre and offensive roles. She told AdWeek, “There was one where — and I don’t think it has ever seen the light of day — a man was in prison and the other guys in prison were like, ‘You’ve got to get an ugly girl to be your prison wife and she’ll come and bring you food and have sex with you!’ And then they were like, ‘And that would be you.’” She continued, “I remember being like, ‘Oh, they think that this is a fun thing for me, and it’s so insulting,’” she continued. She said, “Those were some of the moments where I was like, ‘Is this what it is in Hollywood? I think I might have to write for myself…’” — and she did.
Rather than accept the roles she was offered or try to change herself, she created the right role for herself. She co-created, co-wrote, and co-executive produced, Shrill, in which she stars as Annie. In 2019, Sam Smith opened up about working to overcome the pressure to change their body. On Instagram, they said, “In the past, if I have ever done a photoshoot with so much as a T-shirt on, I have starved myself for weeks in advance and then picked and prodded at every picture and then normally taken the picture down.” They continued, “Yesterday I decided to fight the fuck back. Reclaim my body and stop trying to change this chest and these hips and these curves that my mum and dad made and love so unconditionally.”
