New Book Claims ‘Sleepy Hollow’ Shortchanged Actress Nicole Beharie

Actress Nicole Beharie developed a reputation for being “problematic” after her time on the hit TV series, “Sleepy Hollow.” But that reputation might be based on systemic racism in the television industry. That’s according to Maureen Ryan’s book “Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood.” The book details where things went wrong. 

The spooky drama garnered over 10 million views during its premiere, and the network quickly ordered a second season. Black audiences especially gravitated to the series because it had a Black-female lead and several other Black characters. Therefore, everyone was shocked when Beharie’s character, Abbie Mills, was killed off in the third season. 

“Sometimes patterns of ignorance morph into systematic contempt, and while intent does matter, intent is not magic,” Ryan writes.

Problems On Set

One chapter, “Horror Story: Sleepy Hollow and the Myth of Post-racial Industry,” details what happened on set. It includes “evidence of some of the worst and most demoralizing things the industry can dish out.” Ryan spoke to multiple sources from the show that acknowledged both the series’ leads struggled. However, Beharie didn’t receive the same privileges or grace as her white male co-star, Tom Mison.

“When a bunch of white guys say a person of color is difficult, I tend to assume that there’s a lot more to that story,” one source stated to Ryan.

The source also said he didn’t find Beharie to be “problematic.” The only discrepancy he viewed was “how their growing pains were viewed and handled.”

Nicole Beharie Pushed Through

A past LA Times interview with Beharie also serves as proof of the biases on set. In the piece, the “Juneteenth” actress remembered when she and Mison fell sick at the beginning of 2020. The creators requested Nicole Beharie continue filming while Mison flew home and rested.

“So I pushed through it, and then by the end of that episode, I was in urgent care,” she said. 

In the same interview, she recalled gaining the “problematic” nickname.

Unfortunately, According to Ryan’s research, Beharie faced other microaggressions directed toward her. For instance, her wig didn’t fit properly, and when she showcased a more natural wig in season three, the write-male writers and producers debated if it “looked professional.” Shernold Edwards, who worked on “Sleepy Hollow,” mentioned witnessing multiple insensitive situations occurring on set to Ryan. Edwards also claimed that Clifton Campbell, the third season’s showrunner, broke down in front of her several times.

The problems behind the scene eventually impacted what was happening on camera. Ryan wrote that the show’s creators “did not seem to care about Abbie’s emotional life, her interiority, her dreams, her complexities.” Yet Mison’s character was able to develop correctly.

“If you think that has nothing to do with the fact that most of the people with power over the show—at the studio, at the network, and at the drama itself—were white, well, I just don’t agree,” Ryan writes.

Furthermore, Beharie’s character wasn’t the only Black character written off. Orlando Jones’ character, Frank Irving, was also killed off per Jones’ request.

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