And Just Like That star Sara Ramirez hits back at ‘hack job’ article for mocking Che Diaz
Sara Ramirez spoke to hundreds of people at a vigil at the Stonewall Inn, New York, for Nex Benedict. (Getty)
And Just Like That… star Sara Ramirez has labelled a magazine profile a “hack job” which attempted “to mock my thoughtfulness and softness”.
Ramirez, who plays Che Diaz in the Sex and the City spin-off, took to Instagram on Tuesday (22 August) to issue a scathing response to a profile by The Cut features writer Brock Colyar.
Sharing two photographs from their photoshoot with the magazine on the same day as the show was renewed for a third season, Ramirez wrote: “Been thinking long and hard about how to respond to The Hack Job’s article, “written” by a white gen z non-binary person who asked me serious questions but expected a comedic response, I guess.
“Here’s the good news: I have a dry sense of [humour] and a voice. And I am not afraid to use either.”
In Colyar’s lengthy piece, which was published in June, the writer draws parallels between the actor and the character, suggesting that while Ramirez says they are “not the characters I play, I’m not Che Diaz”, their – now deleted – Instagram bio described themself as “abolicious” and a “Mexican Irish non-binary human”, language which echoed that of Diaz.
Colyar, who is also non-binary, went on to note the criticism the Diaz faced from fans, writing: “Plenty of eye-rolling from the (mostly younger) queer people I know, who found the character a hyperbolised, hyper-cringe representation of non-binary identity.”
In response, Ramirez wrote: “[I] trust those of you who matter, who are not petulant children, who are smart enough to catch on to what was actually going on there, can perceive it [the article] for what it is”.
They went on to describe it as: “An attempt to mock my thoughtfulness and softness, while dismissing a valid existence and real human being in [favour] of TV show critiques that belonged elsewhere.
“I am not the fictional characters I have played, nor am I responsible for the things that are written for them to say. I am a human being, an artist, an actor, and we are living in a world that has become increasingly hostile toward anyone who dares to free themselves from the gender binary, or disrupt the mainstream.”
The star then addressed some key points as “friendly reminders”, saying “I can love women (and I do), while not identifying as one… feminists come in all genders [and] when a cis man is in charge and has ultimate control of dialogue actors say, and you have a valid problem with it, perhaps you should be interviewing him”.
Ramirez then tagged staff who were part of the photoshoot, praising their “professionalism, humour, brilliance, intentionality, maturity and cool af-ness”.
And Just Like That… addresses Che Diaz backlash
Since And Just Like That… first aired in 2021, much of the show’s audience has been united in criticism and dislike of non-binary comedian and podcast co-host Diaz. The character was attacked for being simplistic and a caricature of being non-binary.
In season two, the show attempted to address some of that criticism.
In episode five, the character is in Los Angeles and hopes to create a sitcom based on their life, the process of which involves them sitting on the other side of a one-way mirror while a focus group discusses the show’s pilot episode.
The feedback from the group is not particularly positive, with one non-binary person saying Diaz’s character version of themself is like a “walking Boomer joke [and] a bulls**t version” of the non-binary experience”.
The commentary in the episode was actually based on a real collection of viewpoints which people have shared about Ramirez since season one.
“Season two of And Just Like That, in regards to Che, has to start with the reaction to what season one of Che was, which was judging a book by the cover,” showrunner Michael Patrick King told The Wrap.
He went on to say he could not understand the backlash, describing Ramirez as a spectacular actor.
“I’ve been in many, many focus groups, and there’s always some wounding that happens in there,” he added.
“But what we really wanted to talk about was the fact that sometimes what you’re trying to do is not reflected, even by the people you think you’re doing it for. It just says that you can’t have one experience speak for others.”
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