Can a woman be girlish and practical? HBO obviously thinks so: the network’s True Detective has just cast Adria Arjona (get used to that name; you’ll be seeing it a lot) as Emily, the “girlish but practical girlfriend” of Taylor Kitsch’s character. Or, as the AV Club nails it: “Because underneath all that awards-season gloss, HBO still has quotas to fill, True Detective has cast the obligatory girlfriend character for its second season.”
The show is currently in production on its second season, and stars Kitsch, Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, and Lolita Davidovitch. News of Arjona’s casting will no doubt cause a stir among the Internet, which has been warming up its True Detective hate for some time, mostly because the much-lauded show’s first season seemed incapable of portraying well-rounded female characters: the show’s women are either shrews, dangerously unpredictable mistresses, druggy prostitutes, or victims of unspeakable violence. While it seems to be easy to cast female eye-candy (link perhaps NSFW) for its supporting roles, the much buzzed-about drama is having difficulty choosing an actress for its female lead: both Rachel McAdams and Elisabeth Moss have been rumored to be in it, and at one point Jessica Chastain’s name was mentioned, but the role of hard drinking, hard gambling, Ani Bezzerides remains uncast.
