Black Actors not recognised enough in UK film industry, says leading black British actor.

Source:  Telegraph & Daily Mail

‘In the UK, we don’t have a growing, viable, strong, aspirational black culture. Commissioning editors and advertisers don’t see us as a target market and because of that we’re not really part of the fabric of society.'

Black British Actor David Harewood Credits:Zimbio

The star of hit American TV show Homeland, has spoken about the struggle faced by black British actors within the UK film industry. In an interview with the Radio Times, black British Actor David Harewood MBE spoke about the difficulty and length of time he faced before proving to UK film bosses he,  like his other non black counterparts is equally just as suitable for the role of a 'leading man'.

‘It’s taken me 26 years and a couple of trips to America to convince people in the UK that I can carry a show and that I can be a leading man. It’s taken a long time, and that’s frustrating, but I’m just glad that I got there.’

Harewood further suggests lack of a UK black middle class as a possible main root of the problem. Unlike America with it's strong black middle class background, unearthed as far back as the Civil Rights Movement which today has produced the likes of President Barack Obama, the UK black population still appears to fleet between poverty and the lower-lowest working class.(The last opinion is that of the Author and not Harewood's).  

Speaking to the Telegraph back in May, Harewood expressed disappointment at not having had a single job offer since being back in the UK for six months, despite Homeland's TV succcess/.

President Obama may have given Homeland the White House Seal of Approval when he mentioned it as a  favourite, but the main star is yet to coin an approval from the UK film industry.

Guardian reporter, Lindsay Johns had also bemoaned about the substantial  lack of a black UK middle class in an article for the Telegraph back in 2011. Johns wrote:

‘There’s no educated ethnic middle class in this country to counter the black 'street’ stereotype.The chronic dearth of educated, black, middle-class professionals in this country explains the mess we are in today. If there were a sizeable black middle class, perhaps there’d also be less racism’

Acclaimed US actor Morgan Freeman voiced support over Harewood's comments. Commenting a few weeks ago, Freeman noted black UK actors were forced to leave the UK for greener pastures overseas, due to the limited amount of work available to them.  ‘The British film [and television] industry needs to catch up with the times.’ he noted.

Idris Elba, Chiwitel Ejiofor, Gina Yashere, etc are but to name a few black British actors/comedians who fared better and became "accepted" in foreign waters other than their UK homeland
However, Harewood commented the UK was more racially integrated than the US.

Black British Actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste fared better in the US than their UK homeland