Looks like the new Rugrats revival series just got a little more inclusive. The actress behind one of the show's returning adult characters has confirmed that her character, long suspected to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community, will be confirmed as such in the new batch of episodes. Who says parents can't have fun?
Natalie Morales, who will be taking over voice acting duties as Phil and Lil's mom Betty in the revival, has confirmed that her character will be revealed as an openly gay woman in the new series. Morales, a proud queer woman herself, appears overjoyed at the development, praising the positive representation of a happy and successful member of the LGBTQ+ community in a world where such depictions are still proportionally few and far between.
RELATED: Pansexual Video Game Characters to Remember on Pansexual Visibility Day
"Betty is a single mom with her own business who has twins and still has time to hang out with her friends and her community," Morales said when speaking to The AV Club, "and I think it's just so great because examples of living your life happily and healthily as an out queer person is just such a beacon for young queer people who may not have examples of that." The idea of using a TV show to convey to young LGBT kids that there's nothing wrong with them and how they feel seems to be one of the main goals of this development, more so than the LGBT romances in Mass Effect, anyway. "Betty is a fictional cartoon," Morales continued, "but even cartoons were hugely influential for me as a kid and if I'd been watching Rugrats and seen Betty casually talking about her ex-girlfriend, I think at least a part of me would have felt like things might be okay in the future."
Fans of the original series may become wary of the idea that one of the original characters is getting a new voice actor. In fact, all of the adult characters will receive the same treatment. Since the focus is on the kids themselves, as before, Nickelodeon saw an opportunity to bring in some new blood for the grown-ups to serve almost as cameos, as well as give actors who might have grown up with the show a chance to be a part of it. The new cast will include names like comedian Nicole Byer, Arrested Development's Tony Hale, and Better Call Saul's Michael McKean. But don't worry, the original cast of kids will retain the same iconic performers they've always had, from E.G. Daily as Tommy to Cree Summer as Susie.
It's always a good idea to add some positive representation for marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community to mainstream shows and movies. In a world that's more diverse today than it's ever been, it's only natural that the entertainment people enjoy should reflect that, and everyone deserves to see characters they can relate to. It's a noble goal to shoot for. Though to be fair, nobody really needs to justify including a queer character in media any more than they'd need to justify including a straight character. Just do it. If video games can be inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community, so can everyone else.
Rugrats was a big part of growing up for many kids at the time, and in the same way that its now grown audience was able to relate to it back then, hopefully a whole new and wider generation of children can now feel that same comfort when watching the revival. Representation matters, and that goes doubly so when marginalized kids get to see someone like them in a mainstream series, just to let them know they're not alone.
The first 5 episodes of the new Rugrats series are now streaming on Paramount+.
MORE: Doctor Who: The 10 Best Companions, Ranked
Source: AV Club