Toph, the actress portraying the beloved character in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, has spoken out for the first time since her controversial casting announcement.
Although the live-action adaptation’s first season received mixed reviews, Netflix has already committed to producing two additional seasons, with the second season recently confirmed to be in production.
Along with the announcement regarding the production progress, Netflix officially stated that the beloved character Toph would be joining Aang and his friends in the upcoming season, with actress Miya Cech cast in the role.
Miya Cech, at just 17 years old, is an emerging talent who has already gathered a substantial fanbase through her appearances in various TV shows and films.
However, Cech’s casting has sparked significant backlash online, as fans of the original animated series criticized Netflix for not selecting a visually impaired actress. In the animated series, Toph’s groundbreaking Earthbending abilities are closely tied to her visual impairment, enabling her to detect vibrations through the Earth using her acute sense of touch.
Let’s give a very warm welcome to our Toph, Miya Cech!!!! #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/ODYYqgNEK5
— Avatar: The Last Airbender (@AvatarNetflix) September 20, 2024
In a recent post on the official Avatar: The Last Airbender account during Netflix Geeked, Miya Cech addressed her casting for the first time since the announcement.
In the video message, Cech shared that she “grew up watching the animated series” and had viewed it ten times in its entirety. She expressed her deep connection to the character Toph, stating that she “begged my team to please get me an audition” as soon as the casting notice was released.
The young actress concluded by expressing her ambition, stating that she “hopes to do Toph justice and play her well.”
Alongside the video, the Avatar team addressed the ongoing backlash regarding the casting decision, revealing that Cech has been working closely with a producer and consultant from the blindness community who is blind. This collaborative effort aims to ensure accurate representation of the blindness community in the series.
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