Actress Allison Tolman, perhaps best known for playing a cop on FX’s Fargo, is calling on TV writers and showrunners to “take the jokes about weight out” of their scripts. “I promise they aren’t funny,” she insisted, adding that even if the jokes “hold up well,” they are nonetheless “unkind.”
“Writers and showrunners- take the jokes about weight out of your scripts. I promise they aren’t funny. And even if they were, they won’t hold up well,” Tolman tweeted on Tuesday. “And even if they did, they’re unkind-either to your characters and actors or someone in your audience or crew. It’s not worth it.”
“Jokes about weight don’t have to just be jokes about a characters body,” the Why Women Kill actress added, specifying that bad jokes can also include the mention of “the numbers on a scale, what someone eats, what size their clothing is,” and “exercise and movement.”
Jokes about weight don’t have to just be jokes about a characters body. They can also include making mention of:
– the numbers on a scale
– what someone eats
– what size their clothing is
– exercise and movement— Allison Tolman (@Allison_Tolman) January 18, 2022
Tolman further called on writers and showrunners to remove “body descriptors” from scripts altogether, declaring, “when you’re ready, begin to wrap your mind around removing body descriptors from your scripts altogether, including character descriptions and the names of minor roles.”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t use adjectives. But please don’t say ‘Linda- the main character’s cousin, thin and witty’ unless there’s an actual reason Linda needs to be thin. And please don’t say ‘Fat Lady In Theater’ when you mean ‘Annoying Lady In Theater,'” she added.
Oh! And also, people think it’s okay if they’re using descriptors for small bodies, because they’re considered complimentary. Like, you’re auditioning for “Skinny Intern”, congratulations! But do you see THAT IS THE EXACT POINT AND SURELY YOU UNDERSTAND HOW WEIRD THAT IS.
— Allison Tolman (@Allison_Tolman) January 18, 2022
The Mad Dogs actress went on to say that her demand to remove body descriptors includes those who are “thin” and “skinny.”
“Oh! And also, people think it’s okay if they’re using descriptors for small bodies, because they’re considered complimentary. Like, you’re auditioning for ‘Skinny Intern’, congratulations!” Tolman said. “But do you see THAT IS THE EXACT POINT AND SURELY YOU UNDERSTAND HOW WEIRD THAT IS.”
The audience only knows the values you assign to different body types if you have characters saying lines about them. But the rest of your script? That’s your crew, writers room, everyone in the office, executives, creative partners- all the people helping you make your show.
— Allison Tolman (@Allison_Tolman) January 18, 2022
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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