Daniel Kaluuya responds to Sam Jacksons criticism of black British actors
One of our biggest stories last week was this one, in which Samuel L. Jackson said some words about black British actors playing American characters. Sam was promoting Kong: Skull Island, and he was asked about the phenomenal success of Get Out. Sam gave props to the people involved, but took issue with the idea that a black British guy has the same understanding of what it’s like for an African-American man to meet his white girlfriend’s parents. Sam seemed to presuppose that race relations in Britain are less complex and more straightforward than race relations in America, which (just my opinion) is a mistake. That being said, I thought he made some interesting points and he started a fascinating dialogue. After Sam’s comments went viral, he offered a clarification that he wasn’t slamming individual British actors, he was just offering some commentary on how Hollywood works and the casting decisions that are made.
Sam’s comments came after being asked specifically about Get Out and the star of the surprise hit, Daniel Kaluuya. Daniel is the son of Ugandan immigrants and he was born and raised in Britain. He’s come over here to America to work in the past few years, and I imagine he’ll be getting even more Hollywood scripts these days with the success of Get Out. Anyway, Daniel spoke to GQ in the wake of Sam’s comments, and I thought he brought up some great points as well. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
His personal history with racial microaggressions: “I had a hyper version of that when I was 17. I was doing Skins and we went to Lithuania. It was like the party [scene in Get Out], but everywhere. In the f–king supermarket, just everywhere, everyone was like, “What the f–k are you?” There was one Saturday, and we went to a shopping center. It was packed, and I was like, “Yo guys, I’m going to get something to eat,” and I was moving through this packed shopping center, and people were parting. I looked back and I felt like Moses! There was a f–king line, a parting line of white people, for me. It literally felt like some supernatural, f–ked-up sh-t.”
He hates being asked about his perspective as a “black actor”: “Even all of these interviews I’m doing! A bunch of people going, “What’s it like for a black actor?” That’s some racist sh-t! And a really weird f–king question. But because that’s common, people are desensitized to it. Sometimes I hear at an audition that they’re trying to go ‘ethnic.’ You’re getting singled out for the color of your skin, but not the content of your spirit, and that’s everywhere. That’s my whole life, being seen as “other.” Not fitting in in Uganda, not Britain, not America. They just highlight whatever feature they want.
On Sam’s comments: “Big up Samuel L. Jackson, because here’s a guy who has broken down doors. He has done a lot so that we can do what we can do. Here’s the thing about that critique, though. I’m dark-skinned, bro. When I’m around black people I’m made to feel “other” because I’m dark-skinned. I’ve had to wrestle with that, with people going “You’re too black.” Then I come to America and they say, “You’re not black enough.” I go to Uganda, I can’t speak the language. In India, I’m black. In the black community, I’m dark-skinned. In America, I’m British. Bro!”
Racism exists in Britain too: “[Black people in the UK], the people who are the reason I’m even about to have a career, had to live in a time where they went looking for housing and signs would say, “NO IRISH. NO DOGS. NO BLACKS.” That’s reality. Police would round up all these black people, get them in the back of a van, and wrap them in blankets so their bruises wouldn’t show when they beat them. That’s the history that London has gone through. The Brixton riots, the Tottenham riots, the 2011 riots, because black people were being killed by police. That’s what’s happening in London. But it’s not in the mainstream media. Those stories aren’t out there like that. So people get an idea of what they might think the experience is.
He’s not a culture-vulture: “Let me say, I’m not trying to culture-vulture the thing. I empathize. That script spoke to me. I’ve been to Ugandan weddings, and funerals, and seen that cousin bring a white girl. That’s a thing in all communities. I really respect African American people. I just want to tell black stories. This is the frustrating thing, bro—in order to prove that I can play this role, I have to open up about the trauma that I’ve experienced as a black person. I have to show off my struggle so that people accept that I’m black. No matter that every single room I go to I’m usually the darkest person there. You know what I’m saying? I kind of resent that mentality. I’m just an individual… But I see black people as one man. When I see people beaten on the streets of America, that hurts me. I feel that.
I think I’m coming at both Sam’s comments and Daniel’s comments in a “this is part of a larger discussion” way. I didn’t read Sam’s comments as a diss to Daniel, nor do I read Daniel’s comments as a diss to Sam. They’re two actors having a complicated, public discussion about race, racism, colorism, cultural and institutional biases and Hollywood. Of course it’s messy. And I think both men are bringing up interesting points. I also think it’s worth pointing out that Americans have a skewed perspective of British race relations because the British film/TV industry doesn’t focus much on racial stories. In America, we think Britain is all Notting Hill and Love Actually, when really, minority communities in Britain have shockingly similar stories as American minority communities.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet and Getty.
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