American Gods: Mousa Kraish not asked to return for season 3
Mousa Kraish, who plays the Jinn in American Gods, has confirmed that he has not been asked to return for the upcoming season.
Mousa Kraish, who plays the Jinn in American Gods, delivered the dispiriting news via Twitter that he has not been asked to return for the third season of the show. Although many us were quite touched by the optimism and unassuming grace with which he approached the subject of his exclusion from the upcoming season, it doesn’t do much to quell our disappointment.
Kraish’s announcement also comes directly after the news that Orlando Jones — known as Mr. Nancy within the series — was fired. With showrunner Charles Eglee getting rid of so many beloved cast members, fans are disheartened going into the third season.
Read Kraish’s Tweet announcing the news here:
So many of you & reaching out to me with support & love. I am so humbled & grateful for this wonderful community behind @neilhimself & #AmericanGods. I can confirm that I wasn’t asked to come back this season. It has been an honor to play the Jinn & live in his fiery eyed skin..
— Mousa Hussein Kraish he/him (@MousaKraish) December 16, 2019
Kraish electrified season 1 of American Gods, with the Palestinian actor delivering a bold and blush-worthy performance as the mysterious ifrit who shares a wistfully poignant and erotic encounter with a young, Middle Eastern businessman named Salim (played by Omid Abtahi). The love-making scene between two male characters was somewhat unprecedented, but it was thoroughly refreshing and exciting to see a show push the envelope in such a progressive manner.
By no means is it an exaggeration to say that Abtahi and Kraish’s presence and performances in American Gods gave people of color in the LGBTQ+ community a certain sense that their innate humanity was finally being acknowledged. This sort of inclusion felt like the mainstream was finally willing to extend an olive branch to marginalized audiences. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to last.
I won’t sit here and wax poetic about how much representation matters to marginalized communities. As individual who exists at the intersection of multiple marginalized groups, I fully realize the futility of pointing it out again and again. Those who want to comprehend do. Those who don’t want to comprehend don’t.
I’m writing instead, from the perspective of a story lover and storyteller. Season 1 of American Gods clearly demonstrated how greatly racial, cultural, and social diversity energizes and enriches stories. To cast that wealth of inspiration aside in favor of watered down, homogeneous content makes absolutely no sense to me. In the upcoming season, incomparable supporting characters like the Jinn and Mr. Nancy will be sorely missed.
Neil Gaiman, the author of the American Gods novel Tweeted that he hopes to see Kraish return for season 4. So, say we all, Mr. Gaiman. So, say we all.
Next. American Gods has ditched Mr. Nancy, and the internet is not happy. dark