My pregnancy made no difference to the part, but insurers wouldn’t cover me. Talent is too often lost to discrimination
The entertainment industry likes to think it is a champion of diversity and inclusivity, jumping to call out those who are homophobic, racist, ableist and sexist. But as a queer black female actor I know all too well how far we still have to go. There is another prejudice infesting the industry, one that is kept in the shadows: pregnancy discrimination.
I was recently offered a TV role unlike any I’d been given the opportunity to play before and I was thrilled. I was pregnant when cast, but I knew this wouldn’t pose any challenges for the production: the character spent most of the story sitting down, the setting meant clothing could cover my bump, or the character could be pregnant, especially as all the action took place over a matter of days.
Jade Anouka is an actor who has appeared in His Dark Materials and on stage in the Donmar Shakespeare Trilogy
