Source: Jim Spellman / Getty
Idris Elba is making it plain that he is not a fan of Samuel L. Jackson’s comments about Black British actors taking jobs away from Black American actors.
You may recall that earlier this year, Sam Jackson made comments about Daniel Kaluuya for his role in the box office smash, Get Out.
Sam said:
I know the young brother who’s in the movie, and he’s British. There are a lot of black British actors that work in this country. All the time. I tend to wonder what would that movie have been with an American brother who really understands that in a way. Because Daniel grew up in a country where they’ve been interracial dating for a hundred years. Britain, there’s only about eight real white people left in Britain … what would a brother from America have made of that role? I’m sure the director helped. Some things are universal, but everything ain’t.
Adding his thoughts on Black English actors, he said,
They don’t cost as much. Unless you’re an unknown brother that they’re finding somewhere. They think they’re better-trained, for some reason, than we are because they’re classically trained. I don’t know what the love affair is with all that. It’s all good.
In an interview with The Root during press rounds for his new film, The Dark Tower, Idris, who is English, took Sam to task for the comments.
“I was really disappointed in those comments,” he said. “We are dissected as a people, why dissect us any further, as a comment as stupid as that,” he said.
“Black actors all over the world look at Samuel L. Jackson as a great actor, who happens to be black. The idea that he can dissect us into English actors that are black, stealing roles from American actors, is really ignorant and made of things that divide us, instead of pulling us together,” he added.
No response yet from Samuel L. Jackson. What do you think — do you agree with Idris or Sam Jackson.
Idris Elba is making it plain that he is not a fan of Samuel L. Jackson’s comments about Black British actors taking jobs away from Black American actors.
You may recall that earlier this year, Sam Jackson made comments about Daniel Kaluuya for his role in the box office smash, Get Out.
Sam said:
I know the young brother who’s in the movie, and he’s British. There are a lot of black British actors that work in this country. All the time. I tend to wonder what would that movie have been with an American brother who really understands that in a way. Because Daniel grew up in a country where they’ve been interracial dating for a hundred years. Britain, there’s only about eight real white people left in Britain … what would a brother from America have made of that role? I’m sure the director helped. Some things are universal, but everything ain’t.
Adding his thoughts on Black English actors, he said,
They don’t cost as much. Unless you’re an unknown brother that they’re finding somewhere. They think they’re better-trained, for some reason, than we are because they’re classically trained. I don’t know what the love affair is with all that. It’s all good.
In an interview with The Root during press rounds for his new film, The Dark Tower, Idris, who is English, took Sam to task for the comments.
“I was really disappointed in those comments,” he said. “We are dissected as a people, why dissect us any further, as a comment as stupid as that,” he said.
“Black actors all over the world look at Samuel L. Jackson as a great actor, who happens to be black. The idea that he can dissect us into English actors that are black, stealing roles from American actors, is really ignorant and made of things that divide us, instead of pulling us together,” he added.
No response yet from Samuel L. Jackson. What do you think — do you agree with Idris or Sam Jackson.
