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Good Trouble's Alice Continues to Fight Against Harmful Asian Stereotypes

Good Trouble's Alice Continues to Fight Against Harmful Asian Stereotypes

Sherry Cola
Freeform

Sherry Cola, who plays the lesbian character Alice, is proud of her character for finding a voice to speak out against anti-Asian rhetoric. 

Freeform's Good Trouble returns with the back half of its third season Wednesday, and from the looks of the trailer, there's plenty of sex, drama, and humor on tap at the Coterie.

The series from The Fosters' creators Joanna Johnson, Peter Paige, and Bradley Bredeweg follows Maia Mitchell's Callie and Cierra Ramirez's Mariana to a communal living space in downtown Los Angeles where they kickstart their post-grad lives in a diverse setting that features several LGBTQ+ characters

The first part of season 3 saw Sherry Cola's Alice rise to the top of her exclusive improv workshop even if she had to lean into harmful Asian stereotypes to make her mark. That is until she puts her foot down about the racism the workshop's adviser encourages.

In a clip from the upcoming season, Alice, who for the first few seasons has been passive and often walked on because of it, continues to hold space for the intersections of her identities when her hookup, Ruby, decides she wants to take things to the next level. But Ruby failed to back Alice up over the situation at the improv class, and Alice has had it.

Cola, an out stand-up comic who had the opportunity to work with one of her heroes, Margaret Cho, in the mid-season finale, is proud of the direction her character is headed.

"As Sherry, I've never felt more liberated and whole. I've learned the importance of embracing and celebrating every single one of my identities. The same goes for Alice. She's challenged when she's recognized for being diverse, but at what cost? Being an Asian woman in the LGBTQ+ community is such a complex experience, constantly being pulled in different directions and having to think twice about what to prioritize, because you're often put in a box," Cola tells The Advocate.

"It makes me proud to see Alice continue to grow and evolve since we met her as apologetic and people-pleasing in season 1. Now she's comfortable enough to stand up for her community because she simply has no choice," Cola continues. "She didn't want to settle for her dream comedy career if she had to give in to cheap stereotypes. Speaking up and fighting for what you believe in is the most powerful thing you can do. I hope this inspires the audience to do the same. These unique yet universal types of stories are long overdue, and I'm so grateful to be telling them."

Good Trouble also stars Zuri Adele (Malika), Tommy Martinez (Gael), Emma Hunton (Davia), and Josh Pence (Dennis).

Watch the clip below, and catch all-new episodes of Good Trouble beginning Wednesday on Freeform.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP, Executive Producer of Entertainment for the Advocate Channel. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.