There is a pecking order, a little pool of people who are always used - and most of them are white

There are big posters everywhere in Tube stations for Bullet Boy, a new British movie starring Ashley Walters, aka So Solid Crew's Asher D. The visibility of this film is worth noticing because not many British films thus far have had a black leading man. As ever, the British film industry is trailing behind Hollywood, which has long since collapsed the notion that black actors must always play the sidekick to a white lead. There are three films currently in the US top ten carried by black actors: Beauty Shop (Queen Latifah), Guess Who (Bernie Mac) and Hitch (Will Smith).

"The US is aeons ahead of us," affirms the British film-maker Mark Norfolk, who e-mails his thoughts over to me. "Although black actors such as Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sophie Okonedo and Ashley Walters have appeared in leading roles over the past decade, one can't help feeling an element of lip-service being played, as we blunder along in the hope that the papered-over cracks of black non-participation do not show through the veneer of multiculturalism."

Norfolk has recently wrapped a feature in London, but he is pessimistic about its chances. "My film, Crossing Bridges, is an independent feature with a black lead in a multicultural cast and, as far as the UK film industry is concerned, that's just what it is. Or, as one major buyer said to me: 'You got no one in it.' If I was a white director with the same film it would be a different story. It would be said that I had 'detailed foresight into the workings of the black community' or 'a unique vision that delves into the underbelly of an inner-city urban environment', and it would be distributed as such. It's not just about producing the odd film set in an urban inner-city environment with a black lead, it's about creating a level playing field, where black performers are cast in roles on the basis of their ability," he continues.

By chance, I have lunch the next day with Okonedo, whose role in Hotel Rwanda earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nod and has catapulted her into the sort of ether where she gets noticed in Hollywood. "Here there is a pecking order," she says. "It certainly

helps if you have a family in the business, or certain connections. There is a list, a little pool of people who are always used. And there are not many other people than white people on that list.

"It's not even about being famous. Most people in the street wouldn't recognise the people on the list anyway. Because they are not on EastEnders. It's very odd."

Hollywood, according to Okonedo, has no such adherence to a pecking order. "In America you can have three heads and be green. But if you put bums on seats, they will employ you. If you can sell a movie, they will employ you, whatever. In the States, more and more films are being used with black casts, whether you like it or not. It makes financial sense; there is a big black movie-going audience and a big Latin audience. And the more cheesy blockbusters there are starring people like Queen Latifah, the more black actors will be used by independent film-makers. Things have really changed out there; no longer do you find actors like Will Smith and Denzel Washington destined always to play the mate of the hero. But I must go and see Bullet Boy. Ashley is a wonderful actor, and I'm really happy to see his poster everywhere."

Post your comment

Please note: you will need to login or register before you can comment on the website