The Get Out and Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya has said he does not want to be defined by racial issues and he finds it boring to talk about his work in terms of race.
The British actor and writer gained international fame with his starring role in the horror film Get Out, for which he was nominated for a string of awards, before moving on to Marvel’s Black Panther and the Steve McQueen thriller Widows.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Kaluuya, 30, said he was resisting the racial narrative into which he felt he was being forced.
“I’m not going to ignore that I’m surrounded by [racial issues], but I’m not defined by it. I’m just Daniel, who happens to be black,” he said.
This year’s Oscars and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) shortlists received heavy criticism for their lack of diversity, but Kaluuya said he did not want to be pushed into becoming a spokesperson for black actors.
“What is there to talk about race? It’s just boring to me. What’s the debate? I’m more of a doer. I’m just going to do what I want to do,” he said.
Although race is an issue at the center of Get Out, which follows a series of disturbing events when a black American man meets his white girlfriend’s family, Kaluuya said he had played a wide variety of roles that often went ignored and he did not want to become “the race guy.”
“The Fades ain’t about race, Psychoville ain’t about race, Skins ain’t about race, Chatroom ain’t about race, Johnny English Reborn ain’t about race. But that almost gets erased. There’s a narrative that is pushed,” he added.
In his latest venture, Queen & Slim, he stars alongside Jodie Turner-Smith as a couple who go on the run after a Tinder date gone wrong. While driving home the pair are pulled over by an aggressive policeman, whom Kaluuya’s character, Slim, ends up shooting in self-defense.
Kaluuya said he might have had some reservations about taking on another role that would lead to him being asked about race, but it was the love story element of the film that attracted him.
“Yes, it’s got those moments [about race], but that’s more of a catalyst,” he said.
The British actor and writer, from north London, has previously said he started doing more American movies as he felt he was not getting roles in England because of his skin color.
Now he has clarified that it was mainly to do with a lack of challenging roles, and at the age of 25 he found he was too old to play children, and too young to play men.
His Black Panther costar Michael B Jordan introduced an “inclusion rider” to his production company to ensure more diverse cast and crew.
His film, Just Mercy, was one of the first to be made with the rider in place, but it just missed out on an Oscar nomination.
While he is working on another US film, Kaluuya said he would be open to doing something in the UK, such as a play upstairs in the Royal Court or at the Young Vic, but right now he wanted to experiment.
“The good thing is there’s no expectation on me, so I could bomb, but I’ve had a good innings,” he said.
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