Netflix Show Makes Major Change to New Neil Patrick Harris Comedy Following Controversy

Producers have dropped the role of a Latina housekeeper from an upcoming Netflix original series after one of the actresses up for the part deemed it offensive. Actress Ada Maris reviewed the script for Uncoupled in preparation to audition for the part of Carmen, but she did not care for what she saw. She wrote an open letter about the script to star Neil Patrick Harris and co-creator Darren Star, and they opted to drop the character.

“We’re sorry that Ms. Maris had a negative experience, and this character will not appear in the series,” a Netflix spokesperson told Variety after Maris’ letter went public. So far, reps for Harris and Star have not responded to requests for comment. Uncoupled was co-created by Star and Jeffrey Richman, and stars Harris as a 40-something gay man divorced after 17 years trying to cope with single life. Harris is an executive producer on the series but had no hand in the writing process.

Maris told Variety that she got the script for the first episode from her agent when casting began. The 64-year-old actress said that the lines for Carmen were “hurtful and derogatory,” and that her part “wasn’t even funny.”

“I was shocked because I walked in expecting something very different given the way things are nowadays and the progress we’ve made,” she said. Seeming to address Harris, she added: “You are modern gay men. How would you like to watch or play an outdated, offensively stereotypical gay part?”

Maris said that the script called for Carmen to use “broken English,” and described her as subservient to her boss, as well as “nearly hysterical” in some instances. According to Variety, later drafts of the same script were amended to show Carmen using grammatically correct English, and changed her mood to “agitated.” This could indicate that there were internal complaints and discussions about the part.

“Sometimes people have to sit with the discomfort,” Maris said. “I would hope they would rethink this. I would hope they would recognize the harm that it does to everyone. Both to people who are Latino and people who are not.”

Uncoupled is now filming in New York, and by all appearances, the Carmen character has been cut entirely. In a follow-up interview with Entertainment Weekly, Maris wondered why the writers didn’t simply change the stereotypes and keep the character. She said: “While it is gratifying to learn that the original character has been cut from the show, wouldn’t it be even more so to see a wonderful new Latino character take its place?”