Yahoo Movies Hollyoaks' Vera Chok and Katie McGlynn on the importance of Becky racism story
This article contains discussion of racism and hate speech, which some readers may find upsetting.
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks is exploring a racism storyline, with Emma Lau's character Serena Chen-William being subjected to Katie McGlynn's Becky Quentin making derogatory comments about China and the COVID-19 pandemic, which left Serena devastated.
Vera Chock's character Honour (Serena's mum) has since got involved, confronting Becky about her behavior.
Related: Hollyoaks' Ollie Morgan plans revenge against returning character
Now, Chock and McGlynn have spoken out about the storyline on social media, sharing how important it is to raise awareness of the racial abuse so many people endure on a daily basis.
Speaking about the scenes, McGlynn wrote on Instagram on Tuesday (January 25) that the cast and crew "felt it was an important story to highlight given the huge rise of Sinophobia" as she made it very clear that she did not agree with or support her character's behaviour.
"I love playing characters that are completely different to me, but this actually made me feel a bit uncomfortable if I'm honest! Unfortunately, Becky's character is one that does exist in the real world and although it's certainly not one whose views I agree with at all, it's an issue that needs to be highlighted and called out for what it really is… racism!" she wrote.
The actor urged viewers to "please remember" that she is not Becky and they do not share the same views, urging anyone affected by the storyline to seek support via Channel 4's website.
Chock also discussed the subject on her Instagram account that same day, re-posting the scene in question from Hollyoaks' page with an important caption.
"Grateful that @hollyoaksofficial makes the effort to bring #sinophobia to light. The pandemic was and remains a difficult time for anyone who looks vaguely Chinese," she wrote. "The history of under-reporting or ignoring racism towards people of East Asian descent is very sad. Please support inclusion and anti-racism. Thank you so much."
Related: Hollyoaks star Emma Lau teases Serena's discovery of Dave's secret
The star posted the clip alongside the hashtags "#NoToHateSpeech" and "#StandingUpToRacism".
Lau opened up to Digital Spy about the scenes earlier this month, noting that it's "a really important issue that Hollyoaks are tackling and representing" right now. "It has been rampant during COVID. I know friends who've experienced it and it's horrible. It's great that Hollyoaks is delving into that issue," she shared.
Hollyoaks airs new episodes from Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look screenings at 7pm on E4.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Readers can donate to besea.n (Britain's East and Southeast Asian Network), UK anti-discrimination group Stand Up to Racism, and End the Virus of Racism, which is committed to addressing racism against East and Southeast Asians.
Readers in the US can donate to Asian Americans Advancing Justice, AAPI Women Lead, and Stop AAPI Hate.
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