BM/WW IR sightings on TV

Yeah but America produces far more.
Along with far more compelling stories.

 

It's like sports. The major studios just happened to be american made. America is good at making you a star, The U.K. is good at making talent. But there are some VERY good british films out there. Like A World Apart and more recently 100 Streets and A United Kingdom. Those films did great at the international box office, so things are becoming more equal.

 

I root for black actors. In fact for well over a decade I’ve been keeping up with the careers of black actors, even relatively unknown ones. I’m excited by blossoming careers or careers that are just getting started. I even started listing actors as soon as I saw signs of them being up and comers. I can go look back on those list and notice how guys who just broke it big this year had been added to my list four years ago. And when I put together these lists I don’t limit it to African Americans. I include guys from Canada, the UK, and countries from Africa. Hell, I even list one who came from Australia and just played Obama to perfection in a recent Netflix flick.


I don’t give a fuck where they come from. My tribalism goes only as far as race, not nationality. I am hungry to see new black male stars emerge, to see talented black actors get work and be rewarded. And if they come from UK so bleeping what. I think it has been great for Hollywood to have gotten this influx of black talent from England. Chiwetel Ejiofor. Thandie Newton. Carmen Ejogo. David Oyelowo. They are great. And if they increase competition for African American actors well that’s cool. It makes everyone better. Look white American actors have been dealing with this for well over a decade. In fact the white actors have to compete not just with white Brits but Australians too. Granted there are a lot more opportunities for white actors in general but there are also a whole lot more white actors out there too so it all evens out. What I disagree with is this notion that black talent from other nations is going to hurt African Americas. Nonsense. It will do just the opposite. It will expand opportunities for all.


Think of it this way….John Boyega didn’t steal an opportunity from African American actors when he got a big break with Star Wars. If he didn’t win out the role likely goes to one of white actors who were in the running.

Idris Elba this fall we be in two movies in which his leading ladies are Kate Winslet and Jessica Chastain. No African American actors were up for those parts because no other African American actor of that age had developed the type of career, had the type of gravitas and sex appeal and had the respect and the admiration of the industry to be in the running.


If Ricky Whittle didn’t get the leading role in “American Gods” the role very well could have gone to someone who wasn’t black at all.


Point is that everytime a barrier is broken down by one black actor, regardless of his nationality, it makes it easier for the next one coming behind him. So, yeah, I’m hyped that a black actor was picked to play the husband of the lead in “The Handmaiden’s Tale”. That’s great. But there is no need to fret over what’s going to happen to African American actors. Not with names of relative newcomers like:


LaKeith Stanfield

RJ Cyler

Michael B. Jordan

Andre Holland

Donald Glover

Justice Smith

Marque Richardson

Jason Mitchell

Kelvin Harrison Jr

O’Shea Jackson

Sterling K Brown




But they will have to compete with the likes of:


Damson Idris

Malachi Kirby

Rege-Jean Page

Daniel Kaluuya





I see nothing wrong with this. In fact I think its going to lead to some more interesting times and opportunities ahead.

 

Quite honestly Ricky Whittle was best for this part. Nothing to do with him being British. A lot of American Black actors are more concerned with #blackexcellence and a fear of black women than they are with diversity and getting good roles. The thing is you can stereotype some of these american black actors out here because they will put up with it, hell even do it themselves. Actors like a Idris Elba, John Boyega, Ricky Whittle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Roger Cross, ect. can't really be stereotyped. They are free to all roles without much backlash. Take American actor Chawick Boseman for an example and look at his film history, (btw he is starring in the new film about Thurgood Marshall later this year) he has a lot of diversity in his roles but has also played the "black" role, but as soon as he gets a role where he'll have a white woman as a lover (especially since they now see him as Black Panther) he is going to catch hell. Ricky Whittle will not. The only american black actor I can think of that seem to have bypass black americans limiting their role diversity is Mahershala Ali.

Unless they would of chosen a American Black Actor that could get pass the limitation, the show would not be doing so well and there would of been groups out there trying to take it down because the main character doesn't have a black female as a love interest and he is not "black enough".

 

I didn't know Roger Cross was British

 

Mr Spunky broke that shit down more effectively the than crane to an abandon building! #facts

 

Meanwhile in Hollywood Daniel Day Lewis just announce his retirement, DAWN!!!

 

Yes, how stupid of me, I forgotten all about them.

 

He's not. He's Canadian but was born in Jamaica.

 

LOL!! I don't know why or how I typed in his name. Must of been sleepy.

 

Oh he's one of mine. Cool

 

Daniel Day Lewis has announced his retirement yesterday. Wished he can return to movies soon.

 

I bet he comes back to acting when he gets bored.

 

True indeed.

 

Just wanted to add some pics to elaborate on this one

 

Ding, ding, ding.

There is some truth in this. I could see a scenario in which an African American actor, after having gotten the role of Shadow Moon in American Gods, go on twitter and bringing up or agree with someone on the notion that perhaps it was time "Shadow got with some sistas". It as if African American men are increasingly becoming mental midgets on this issue, increasingly being cowed to publicly advocate for some silly idea of race loyalty in terms of whom black men can be with either on or offscreen. All of these black actresses getting roles of white guy girlfriends or as women who take on white lovers and yet you don't hear a peep from any of them about Hollywood needing to pair them with more black guys.

I'm not saying there aren't any black British dudes who subscribe to this bullshit, but overall they don't make this an issue that has to be publicly addressed. It's less of a hangup for them

 

That is a new take on a character. I only saw the movie of the same name. Interesting indeed.

 

What? Black actors from the US scared? Wow. You thought they are not concerned about what BW think. Seems Black British brothers had no problem with it. I would not be surprised if the IR you see are from Black Brit actors and Aussie female actresses.

 

Yeah, that's the same type of xenophobic bullshit that rednecks express when they whine about immigrants coming to America to take their jobs. Let's get something straight. It's an open market. People from all over the globe come to America for jobs and that includes actors. You can't build a wall to keep them out so you better learn to deal. White Americans can make a claim that they also build the Hollywood machine but you don't see any prominent white American actor or executive complaining about the influx of white actors (or even non-white ones) arriving from other nations taking their jobs. But African Americans want to play victim on this topic? Afraid of some competition? Fucking insanity. Here's some truth....the roles and opportunities for black actors have exploded in the past five years alone as the influx of black Brits have increased. It isn't perfect but greater roles are materializing. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless you can't put the genie back in the bottle. The foreign acting talent will keep arriving on our shores, just as they will in other employment fields. And if those people are getting roles it is because they have the talent and are winning out for parts fair and square. An American actor, regardless of race, who isn't ready to step up his game is going to be left behind. Hell, even Sam Jackson is backing off from his idiotic comments. And Spike Lee and Ava Duvernay pissed some folks off by claiming they found the Brit talent to be better right now than their African american counterparts. I'm not sure I agree with that, but I'm damn happy to see that there is now a deeper pool of talent for people like Spike and Ava to choose from.

 

Tyler Perry made his own market and the sisters paved a path to the door making a empire like Oprah. Spike Lee on the other hand is making a few flicks. He is a great pioneer but,he has lost some of his mojo along the way. Ms.Duverney is going places in a big way. Just wished some brothers can bring great product in having some IR with brothers in them. Save The Last Dance made a ton of money but,for some reason nothing came of it when it comes to more IR.