GLOW's Shakira Barrera says Season 4 would've shown "women of color taking their power back"

Los Angeles Times

Barrera explained to the Los Angeles why she and five other GLOW women of color -- Sunita Mani, Sydelle Noel, Britney Young, Kia Stevens and Ellen Wong -- decided to write an open letter complaining that the show relied on "existing stereotypes" while leaving its non-white cast members marginalized. Barrera said the producers responded positively to the letter. “If Netflix didn’t cancel us, you guys would have seen something amazing,” Barrera said. “You would have seen what a true ensemble, diverse show looked like.” Did Barrera worry about professional consequences for the letter? "Yes, 100%," she said. "When you are in an industry that values whiteness, it’s so difficult for you to navigate how to use your voice. You know you have one but you almost have gotten used to not using it. I think in this case, the beautiful part was that I didn’t have to do it alone. That also took a little bit of the danger off." Barrera added that she was thrilled to see the GLOW producers receptive to their ideas. "It was such a chilling moment: to have your executives — even though it was over Zoom — break down the entire Season 4 to the point where you couldn’t wait to get on set because you knew that these characters were going to be seen. It honestly gave me goosebumps," she said. When we were canceled, it felt like someone just slipped the carpet from underneath us. And we fell backwards and woke up in a strange dimension. To come back and take your power back, it’s exactly what GLOW is about. So we didn’t need to shoot anything. This was like Season 4. This was its own season; this was how it was supposed to be: The women of color taking their power back and showing us how to fight, how to lead first and tackle the issue and do it with grace. And do it together."