Being Sara Ramirez hasn’t been easy this year, with all the backlash against their And Just Like That… character Che Diaz, the nonbinary podcaster/comedian who steals the heart of Miranda Hobbes. Ramirez finally spoke about the backlash concerning the character to The New York Times.
“I don’t recognize myself in Che,” Ramirez admitted over a video chat with The Times. At the same time, Ramirez admitted they were “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.”
I think it is fully possible to appreciate the diversity that Che brings to the series, and that it is good to have an imperfect character as representation, while also disliking the way a character is written, especially when there are no nonbinary writers on staff. Ramirez did bring aspects of their own personality to Che, but they are not one and the same.
“I welcome the passion that folks are bringing to the table around this representation. But in real life, there are a lot of different human beings who show up to the table, speaking truth to power in myriad ways,” Ramirez said. “And they all land differently with different people. And Che Diaz has their own audience that they speak to who really get a kick out of what they’re doing.”
At the same time, they did make sure to clarify something fans get confused about online: “I’m also not in control of the writing.”
I’m glad that Ramirez has taken the time to keep and maintain a separation between them and Che.
Che Diaz may have been placed in the middle of an annoying storyline, but I will always be a Sara Ramirez fan.
(via New York Times, image: HBO MAX)
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