'Anne with an E' season 3 adds Kiawenti:io Tarbell as indigenous character Ka’kwet and stays true to its diverse storyline
Since the premiere, Netflix’s ‘Anne with an E’ has managed to impress audiences old and new. The show is of course inspired by the Canadian novel series ‘Anne of Green Gables’ penned by Lucy Maud Montgomery and a remake of the Canadian miniseries which also went by the name ‘Anne of Green Gables.’
The story has been reworked heavily to adapt to the current times and talk about the timelessly relevant issues such as racism, bullying, and homophobia. Despite being set in a predominantly white neighborhood, season 2 saw the CBS/Netflix show introducing fleshed out black characters, who had their own story arcs much to the thrill of the fans.
Unlike many timeless classics, the story of Anne was always progressive – progressive for its time. When it was published, in 1908, the series was considered feminist; it challenged the social norms of the time, especially since it was the story of a girl who was an outcast but was ambitious and caring and persevered to further herself personally and professionally before pining after a boy.
Both television versions have done justice to this theme, with ‘Anne with an E’ furthering it by incorporating LGBT+ rights and racial equality, by introducing a gay classmate for Anne (Amybeth McNulty) and a Trinidadian sailor friend for Gilbert (Lucas Jade Zumann).
In season 3, the show is going to further its mission by adding an Indigenous storyline which will see an actor of Indigenous origin playing a role.
After an extensive, open-call search across Canada, the show creator Moira Walley-Beckett and executive producer Miranda de Pencier cast 12-year-old Kiawenti:io Tarbell, a Mohawk from Akwesasne, as Ka’kwet, Anne’s new friend. The actress’ Instagram bio reads: “Ka’kwet on Anne with an E. I am a Mohawk indigenous youth and proud of it. Artist and singer-songwriter, and now actor.”
Brandon Oakes and Dana Jeffrey are the two other characters added to narrate the Indigenous storyline. “Season 3 promises to be our most intense yet, with storylines about inclusion, romance, pathos, and growing pains for all our characters. It’s a big, bold season!” said Walley-Beckett regarding the new character inclusion.
“There is an energetic charisma and undeniable intelligence to Kiawenti:io that aligns so perfectly with the character of Ka’kwet," The Star quoted de Pencier as saying in a statement, adding how she and Walley-Beckett cannot wait for the ‘Anne with an E’ fans to meet her.
While a premiere date has not been set by CBS or Netflix for season 3 of ‘Anne with an E,’ we do know that it is in production and is expected to reach our TV and computer screens in 2019.