Aidy Bryant Chooses Roles Carefully After Being Sent ‘Demeaning’ Scripts Where Her ‘Body Is the Punchline’
Zack Sharf
“Saturday Night Live” favorite Aidy Bryant co-stars in the upcoming comedy “I Feel Pretty,” which received criticism following its trailer debut for being fat-shaming and insensitive to people struggling with body weight issues. The film stars Amy Schumer as an insecure woman who suffers a head injury that causes her to feel confident and beautiful in her looks. Bryant recently shared a photo with Schumer and co-star Sasheer Zamata, but an angry fan slammed the movie in the comments section.
“I won’t be supporting a movie that continues to perpetuate fat phobia and the notion that for a woman to be confident she needs to look a certain (read: thin, white, rich) way,” the commenter wrote. “The previews are extremely problematic and as a fat woman in Hollywood, who has thousands of fat girls who look up to you, I hope you will consider the message this film sends. Thumbs down.”
Bryant responded to the criticism by explaining her own experience getting scripts in Hollywood that are fat-shaming and “demeaning” in the way they use her weight as a punchline to a joke. Because Bryant has received more than one script like this in her career, she says she chooses her projects extra carefully to promote positive body representation.
“I encourage you to see the film,” Bryant replied. “I think you’ll find that’s not the case. I’m very proud to be in a movie tells the story of someone who believes confidence is directly tied to looks but learns that confidence comes from within. It’s a movie I wish I could have seen when I was 14.”
“Through my short time in this industry I have been sent all kinds of demeaning scripts where my body is the punchline,” she continued. “I choose my projects carefully with exactly these things in mind. Change cannot happen over night and this movie is a step in the right direction.”
“I Feel Pretty” is the latest in Bryant’s blossoming film career. The comedian had a supporting role in “The Big Sick” last summer and also voices a character in “The Star.” The Amy Schumer-led comedy opens in theaters April 20.
