Are black actors discriminated against in the UK?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph....or-me-in-Britain.html

David Harewood seems to be inferring this, what is he suggesting that just because he is black, special leading roles should be created for him?

Seems to me to be just the same as a white actor complaining that there are not enough leading roles for him in 'Bollywood' movies.

[ludwig]

Apparently Damian Lewis can't find work in Britain because he's ginger. That's why he had to star in Homeland as well.

[emmie]

Is that why he was recently seen on "Have I got News for You" which he has fronted before, because he can't get work here?

[sp1814]

AOG

The comparison to the lack of white actors in Bollywood movies is just too stretched to have any credibility because of language.

Before using that as comparison, you would need to identify the number of white actors in India who spoke fluent Hindi.

I suggest we park that one, because it's like complaining about the lack of British actors in The Killing or Wallander (from Denmark and Sweden respectively).

I also think you're taking what Mr Harewood has said and embellishing it. He's not complaining about discrimination, but the lack of roles for black actors (and I suspect all the juiciest roles will land on Idris Elba's agent's desk before David Harewood's).

Perhaps the reason that there is more opportunities for non-white actors in the US, is because they are way more established, and there are way more non-white people behind the scenes (writers, producers, casting agents, talent scouts etc) than we have in the UK.

[ludwig]

// Is that why he was recently seen on "Have I got News for You" which he has fronted before, because he can't get work here? //

Yes.

[jomifl]

Sp it would be rather perverse and just a bit racist if the roles for black actors weren't proportional to the number of blacks in a population. Most American films give the impression that the proportion of blacks in the population is much greater than it is in fact. Has anybody considered that there may just be too many black actors?

[Anngel123]

aog.....its own right.

[sp1814]

jomifi

Its all about context though - if you think about the major players in American film and television (New York and Los Angeles), it would be strange to see dramas that didn't[i feature prominent black and Hispanic roles, because these are very diverse cities.

Okay - there [i]exceptions] - I can't recall a single black face in any of Woody Allen's New York-based movies, but then, they are set in and around the Lower East Side and Greenwich Village so that's understandable.

Another difference I think should be highlighted is that until fairly recently, black actors in the UK were hired specifically to play black characters (if you see what I mean) whereas in America, there are many, many dramas where the fact that the actor playing the role is entirely incidental to the character (for instance, Homeland, Friends, House, Malcolm In The Middle...).

[andy-ronald]

Yeah, I also see these things many of the black male actors are doing great but since a long time not a single new fresh actor established something big like will smith or denzel..
http://www.iamronniecash.com/