Actress Angela Means has been solidified in pop culture with her role as “Felicia” in the 1995 classic Friday, starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker and the late John Witherspoon. In the film, Felicia is depicted as a neighborhood pest who persistently asks to borrow random items from her neighbors. The character is the sister of Cube’s love interest, portrayed by Nia Long, and is also assumed to be a drug addict. The infamous line, “Bye Felicia,” became synonymous with the character and how she was addressed in the film. The “Bye Felicia” expression has become one of the most memorable quotes from a movie. However, for Means, “Bye Felicia” has been anything but harmless.
In a recent interview with Hype+, the actress revealed that she has been overwhelmed with mistreatment from fans due to her playing the character over 30 years ago.
“To this day, I’ll see people say, ‘Bye, you dirty b***h, you f**ked up b***h, dumb b***h,’” she shared.
Recalling those harsh words brought Means to tears, and now, in yet another interview, the 58-year-old actress still remains emotional over how unkind humans can be.
During a recent sit-down with The Art of Dialogue, Means was very vocal about how she wants the narrative of “Felicia” to change, and she shared how she wants fans to start welcoming the “Felicia” in their lives instead of dismissing her.
“I want to see a Netflix series called Felicia,” she told the platform.
She continued passionately about the assumption that Felicia was a “crackhead.”
“You never saw Felicia doing drugs. She wasn’t a crackhead, she was just lost. And everybody lost ain’t a dope fiend!”
“They’ve been telling Felicia bye for 30 years. … When the f**k ya’ll going to say ‘Hi, Felicia,'” said Means tearfully.
Overwhelmed by emotions, the actress continued to plead with viewers, “Don’t ya’ll want to know Felicia’s story? Don’t ya’ll want to know how she got here?”
The clip ends with Means making it personal to the viewers, “Don’t all of ya’ll know a Felicia? A bunch of Felicias?”
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Comments on the post alluded to Means seeming pretty emotional in several interviews regarding the character.
What do you think? Is she taking the fans’ view of “Felicia” personally, or should viewers get with the times?
