Nathalie Emmanuel says UK “loses so much Black and brown talent” to US
Game Of Thrones and Fast & Furious actor pointed to the quality and diversity of roles being offered in US film and TV productions, and noted that many British actors are surprised to be offered relatively smaller roles back home.Speaking on Munroe Bergdof’s The Way We Are podcast, Emmanuel said: “We lose so much Black and brown talent to the States because the British industry just doesn’t hold space in a meaningful, significant way. It’s frustrating.“All cultures and ethnicities were being seen for parts in the US and not just ‘the best friend’ or ‘the receptionist’ bit parts – it was lead roles and significant characters.”She continued: “Even now some British Black people I know in the industry who are British-born who have gone to the US where they’ve been playing lead in shows, they come back to the UK and the parts they are being asked to audition for, you’re just like ‘wait, I’ve just led a show for a major network’.