The upcoming historical biopic “Harriet” has become caught up in controversy due to the nationality of its star, with some criticizing the film for casting British actress Cynthia Erivo as legendary American slave-turned-abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
Speaking with TMZ producer Van Lathan’s “Red Pill Podcast”, actor David Oyelowo responds to a question about the backlash over Erivo’s casting and had an interesting perspective, given that he is also British yet didn’t experience a similar controversy when he portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2014 film “Selma”.
As Lathan explains, some people are upset that Erivo was not “born of African slavery her in America.”
“My job as an actor is to inhabit to the point where I either convince you of the truth of that character or I don’t,” the 43-year-old actor replies. “And it begins and ends there.”
Oyelowo uses some Oscar-winning performances as examples to prove his point that any actor should be allowed to portray a person of any nationality.
“Rami Malek should not have played Freddie Mercury,” he said of the U.S.-born actor’s portrayal of the British singer in “Bohemian Rhapsody”. “Should Meryl Streep not have played Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’?” he adds.
“Sometimes I think these conversations can be tied to not just the character, but the potential or perceived success [of the film],” he continues.
If the film “goes on to be a huge success and she wins accolades for it then that conversation will only get bigger,” Oyelowo adds.
“Rami Malek doesn’t have to deal with this,” he says. “Christian Bale will never have to deal with this in playing Dick Cheney. Daniel Day Lewis will never have to answer this kind of question for playing Lincoln.”
The problem, he maintains, is that black actors have historically been afforded “limited opportunities,” which has resulted in “scrambling for the scraps.”
However, Oyelowo is optimistic that change is in the air for actors of colour. “But I like to think that we are segueing into a different day where not only potentially, is there enough for everyone, but we have the capacity to create a bigger pie,” he says.
You can listen to the entire conversation right here.
“Harriet” debuts in theatres on Nov. 1.
