Idris Elba at this year's Golden Globes
There's a growing number of Black British actors making names for themselves in Hollywood today. Idris Elba, one of the most successful, is a prime example. A friend and colleague (Fellow actor) of Elba's, David Harewood, told the observer that he remembers talking to Elba about his decision to move to America. Intially, Harewood was skeptical, but became to realize that it was a successful move, and decided to follow suit. The moves both driven by the same force: The lack of roles available to Black British actors. Harewood is quoted saying: "Unfortunately there really aren't that many roles for authoritative, strong, black characters in this country. We just don't write those characters, that's a far," he then goes on to say "I don't want to trash this place, but I do think there is a certain lack of ambition in terms of telling a global story."
But even in the U.S. there are issues with regards to race and the film industry. As Spike Lee puts it, "They know nothing about black people," they being a large amount of the producers, writers, and directors in Hollywood. This is the reason stereotypical roles have been the vast majority of the roles offered to Blacks for so long, even today. Many would like to believe that we are beyond the days of such prejudice and discrimination, but we are not. When Hollywood heavyweight George Lucas wanted to raise money for the production of the movie Red Tails---a story of the Tuskegee Airmen--, he was surprised to observe that lack of support from Hollywood. But it still seems that situation in the UK with Black actors is much more limiting than it is in the U.S. I guess the move from U.K. to the U.S. is a classic "Lesser of two evils" decision.
Thorpe, Vanessa. "Why Black British Actors Are Heading for the US." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 02 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/feb/05/black-british-actors-america>.
