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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 18 auguSt 2018

Miss America: Leadership bullied, manipulated, silenced me

By WAYNE PARRY month with The Press of At-
Associated Press lantic City, Mund said she
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — was swiftly punished by
The reigning Miss America having her televised fare-
says she has been bullied, well speech cut to 30 sec-
manipulated and silenced onds, and was told a dress
by the pageant’s cur- she had been approved
rent leadership, including to wear in the traditional
Gretchen Carlson. “show us your shoes” pa-
In a letter sent Friday to for- rade cannot be worn.
mer Miss Americas, Cara This year’s competition will
Mund says she decided to not include swimsuits, and
speak out despite the risk of pageant officials from at
punishment. least 19 states have called
Her letter is reminiscent of for the current leadership
the movie “Mean Girls,” in to resign. There was no im-
which characters Gretch- mediate response from The
en and Regina bully the Miss America Organization
heroine and make her or from Carlson and CEO
life miserable. That’s what Regina Hopper, who were
happened to her in real singled out in Mund’s letter.
life, Mund wrote. Gretchen Mund said she was given
Carlson is chairwoman of three talking points to be
the Miss America Organi- made in every appear-
zation; Regina Hopper is its ance: “Miss America is rel-
CEO. Her letter exponen- evant. The #MeToo move-
tially increased the turmoil ment started with a Miss
surrounding the pageant America, Gretchen Carl-
three weeks before the son. Gretchen Carlson
next Miss America is to be went to Stanford.” (Mund
crowned in Atlantic City. said she was allowed to
“Let me be blunt: I strong- In this Sept. 10, 2017, file photo, Miss North Dakota Cara Mund reacts after being named Miss mention that she went to
ly believe that my voice is America during the Miss America 2018 pageant in Atlantic City, N.J. Brown to show that both
not heard nor wanted by Associated Press women were highly edu-
our current leadership; nor and CEO have systemati- a while, the patterns have Mund said she’s been left cated.)
do they have any interest cally silenced me, reduced clearly emerged, and the out of interviews, not invit- “Right away, the new lead-
in knowing who I am and me, marginalized me, and sheer accumulation of the ed to meetings and called ership delivered an impor-
how my experiences re- essentially erased me in disrespect, passive-aggres- the wrong name. When she tant message: There will be
late to positioning the or- my role as Miss America in sive behavior, belittlement, obliquely hinted at trouble only one Miss America at
ganization for the future,” subtle and not-so-subtle and outright exclusion has with pageant leadership a time, and she isn’t me,”
Mund wrote. “Our chair ways on a daily basis. After taken a serious toll.” in an interview earlier this Mund wrote. q

Beyond ‘The Walking Dead,’ Lauren Cohan is ready for change

By ALICIA RANCILIO view. “This is a much better 22 miles of hostile territory.
Associated Press way of doing it,” Cohan It’s fast-paced and intense,
NEW YORK (AP) — Even laughed. but also funny.
battling zombies day in and Cohan, 36, will appear in Cohan said the cast was
day out can get repetitive. the first half of season nine, encouraged to improvise
After eight seasons of fight- premiering in October. She in some scenes.
ing for her life on AMC’s considers the offer to return “It’s fun to play the witty
“The Walking Dead,” Lau- “a gift.” “There’s a chance dialogue and I always love
ren Cohan knew she need- for me to still explore the in Pete’s movies how there
ed a change when she felt Maggie character and are a lot of normal people
a little too comfortable with it’s going to be fun to see with interesting conversa-
the job. That’s why she’s if that can be done,” she tions,” she said. “It always
saying goodbye to the role, said. She gave the show feels like you’re opening a
though producers are leav- lots of props (“’Walking window into real life.”
ing the door open should Dead’ is responsible for Next, Cohan will act op-
she change her mind. more than I can say”) but is posite Scott Foley in ABC’S
“Eight years is a really long looking forward to new film “Whiskey Cavalier,” debut-
time to be in those emo- and TV projects. ing in 2019.
tional depths and it’s really The first is “Mile 22,” starring “The hardest part is not
fun for me because I never Mark Wahlberg and direct- laughing,” she said. In the In this July 26, 2018 photo, actress Lauren Cohan poses for a
thought about drama as ed by Peter Berg with the dramedy, Cohan plays portrait in New York to promote her film “Mile 22.”
much when I started this hope of becoming a film another CIA operative but Associated Press
career and I always kind franchise. It follows a secret one who gets matched ‘Moonlighting’ vibe,” she much more in touch with
of assumed I’d do like light CIA task force that must with Foley’s superstar FBI said. “I’m an emotional their feelings. It’s funny! It’s
fare,” she told The Associ- retrieve and transport an agent to solve cases. character with a steely great. It’s a really fun de-
ated Press in a recent inter- intelligence asset through “They have this wonderful exterior and the guys are parture for me.”q