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Actor Anne Bedian on tackling identity politics on Roseanne

Anne Bedian discusses the many layers she had to work through to play the character Fatima Al-Harazi on the most recent episode of Roseanne.
CBC Radio ·
ROSEANNE - "Go Cubs" - The Conners can't pay their Wi-Fi bill, so they befriend their new neighbors to use the internet for Mary to Skype with mom Geena, who is stationed in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Dan loses an important job and D.J. admits post-military life has been hard, so they come up with a plan to make extra money, on the seventh episode of the revival of "Roseanne" (L-R: Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne Barr, Alain Washnevsky, Anne Bedian). (ABC/Adam Rose)

Since its premiere in March, the Roseanne revival has had everybody talking. A lot of that has to do with the star of the show, Roseanne Barr, who's a vocal Trump supporter. On the show, Barr plays Roseanne Conner, a working-class grandmother, living in a suburb of Chicago, who's also a Trump supporter.

If you've watched the show, you know that it doesn't shy away from bringing up hot-button issues, such as gender identity, immigration and fears about terrorism.

On this week's episode, Roseanne meets her Muslim neighbours and she starts to believe that they're going to build a bomb out of the many bags of fertilizer in their yard.

Anne Bedian guest starred on that episode as Fatima Al-Harazi, a member of the Muslim family next door. Bedian is originally from Montreal, but she joined Tom Power from a studio in Los Angeles to discuss the many layers she had to work through to play her character.

— Produced by Elaine Chau

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