Sara Ramirez is aware of the internet’s disdain for Che Diaz!
Anyone who’s been following the reactions to HBOMax’s Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That… knows the show is getting its share of criticism. Aside from a noticeable lack of Samantha energy and the troubling treatment of Steve, the series has been ripped on for introducing much-needed diversity elements that, to many, came off half baked and “cringe.” But if there’s one thing every AJLT *critic* (note we said critic, not necessarily every *fan*) can agree on, it’s that Miranda’s (Cynthia Nixon) new love interest is the actual worst.
Since the introduction of Che Diaz, a non-binary comedian and the host of a podcast Carrie Bradshaw now works on, many have agreed the character was a cliché of a non-binary person and a joke of a comedian. It wasn’t just casual viewers: outlets published treatises about why Che is, as The Daily Beast put it, “the worst character on tv.”
Related: And Just Like That Showrunner Reveals What Willie Garson’s Storyline Was Supposed To Be
Now, Sara, the non-binary actor who has the pleasure of playing Che, is sounding off on all the noise — and they’re not letting the criticism get to them!
While speaking to The New York Times, the Grey’s Anatomy alum explained:
“I’m really proud of the representation that we’ve created. We have built a character who is a human being, who is imperfect, who’s complex, who is not here to be liked, who’s not here for anybody’s approval. They’re here to be themselves.”
For their part, Sara said they don’t want to internalize the criticisms of a fictional character, adding:
“I’m very aware of the hate that exists online. But I have to protect my own mental health and my own artistry. And that’s way more important to me because I’m a real human being… I don’t recognize myself in Che.”
Fair enough!
As for giving a response to the mounting criticism, the actor went on to say Che — aka, the writers who give Che a voice — should speak to that. They shared:
“Michael Patrick King [the showrunner of And Just Like That…] and the writers’ room would probably answer that best since they wrote the character of Che Diaz. I imagine Che would have something very witty and silly and funny as a rebuttal; something that ultimately reminds everyone that they are human; something with a sprinkling of self-deprecation, because I think they know they’re a narcissist. And maybe just a little reminder that no one’s perfect.”
Interestingly enough, the writers almost chose an even less perfect love interest for Miranda when developing the new season — at least that’s how Nixon felt about it.
In the And Just Like That.. The Documentary, the actress revealed:
“So originally, when Michael was sort of trying to think about what would happen in our season, he talked about Nya (Karen Pittman), Miranda’s professor, being the romantic relationship. Nya was a straight character and Miranda’s a straight character and I was like, ‘Well that doesn’t sound very sexy at all.’ Do you know what I mean?”
Nixon thought it would be boring to have “two women who have gotten to this age and are now just sort of fumbling around,” adding:
“That doesn’t seem great. And I was like, ‘Why couldn’t it be, you know, why couldn’t it be this butch person that you’re talking about having for Carrie?’”
So maybe fans should be thankful Che’s around!
What do U think about this controversial character, Perezcious readers?
[Image via HBOMax]
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