Ahead of the live adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the cast has discussed the removal of “sexist” traits belonging to the character Sokka.
The show, which will come to Netflix on February 22nd, is based on the popular animated series that ran during the 2000s. However, one of the show’s supporting characters, Sokka, has previously received criticism for perpetuating misogynistic stereotypes.
In the original show, Sokka, voiced by Jack DeSena, makes comments about men being better at certain things compared to women, as well as making other sexist statements.
Thus, for the new remake, Sokka’s questionable comments have been removed. Several cast members discussed this change in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
Kiawentiio Tarbell, who plays Katara, explained, “I feel like we also took out the element of how sexist [Sokka] was. I feel like there were a lot of moments in the original show that were iffy.”
The actor who plays Sokka, Ian Ousley, said, “There’s more weight with realism in every way,” adding, “There are things that were redirected just because it might play a little differently [in the remake].”
Still, he has ensured that his character contains the same essence demonstrated in the original series. He elucidated, “I wanted to make sure that Sokka is funny.”
Watch the trailer below.
