Leading British – Nigerian actor Chiwetel Ejiofor has launched a scathing attack on the British film industry, accusing its crews of acting like ‘colonialists’ when they film in West African countries.
The Hollywood star, nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in 2013 after his role in blockbuster movie 12 Years A Slave, has also hit out at their imperialist language.
‘We use military terms, don’t we? We ‘shoot’,’ says the 38-year-old. ‘And the way that works when you’re in a foreign country, when you’re thinking about a British cast and crew is that people tend to sort of channel their inner colonialist. ‘Like, ‘How would my great-grandfather have ruled these masses?’ It’s ridiculous.’ He said.
This is not the first time the actor has spoken out against problems of race. While promoting Steve McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave last year, he said we have a ‘reflex fear’ that stops us exposing the truth of Britain’s debt to slavery.