Disney Entertainment Chief Dana Walden Says ABC Passed on ‘Incredibly Well-Written Scripts’ Because They Lacked Diversity
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Walt Disney Television’s chairman of entertainment Dana Walden said during a Women in Focus panel this month that ABC passed on several pilots because they did not meet the network’s recent set of inclusion standards, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Last fall, The Hollywood Reporter published ABC’s inclusion standards, which were put in place to ensure more diverse representation both on and off the screen. The guidelines called for at least a 50 percent increase in recurring characters played by actors from underrepresented groups.
The guidelines also called for “meaningful integration of Underrepresented Groups in overall themes and narratives,” and “ongoing meaningful integration of Underrepresented Groups in episodic themes and narratives.”
In a panel discussion hosted by Chapman University and Glamour, also attended by Stacey Abrams, Eva Longoria, Samantha Bee, and Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, Walden revealed that many scripts did not meet ABC’s new standards, and were therefore passed on.
“I will tell you for the first time we received some incredibly well-written scripts that did not satisfy our standards in terms of inclusion, and we passed on them,” Walden said to moderator Janice Min, a contributing editor at Time.
Walden said that one script revolved around a White family, while diversity and inclusion would likely come from the neighbors or other minor roles.
“Pass,” she said. “That’s not going to get on the air anymore because that’s not what our audience wants. That’s not a reflection of our audience, and I feel good about the direction we’re moving.”
Walden also teased the announcement of a new BIPOC programming initiative at Hulu, which will be run by Tara Duncan, the president of ABC’s Freeform.
“It is programming that is by BIPOC storytellers, for BIPOC audiences, curated by executives of color, high-level leaders inside of our organization,” Walden said, while Salke concurred that she sees “huge changes” occurring in Hollywood.
