While Benedict Cumberbatch made a great point in a new PBS interview, his use of the term “colored” to describe black actors took all attention away from his thesis.
During an interview with Tavis Smiley on PBS, the Imitation Game actor made a point that even though the American film industry hasn’t provided black actors with enough opportunities, the U.K. industry is even worse.
“I think as far as colored actors go it gets really different in the U.K., and a lot of my friends have had more opportunities here [in the U.S.] than in the U.K., and that's something that needs to change,” Cumberbatch said.
Cumberbatch worked with black British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years A Slave in 2013. David Oyelowo is also a black British actor who has had to work with director Ava DuVernay in the U.S. to achieve success. After working with her in Selma, he’s going to make a third movie with her.
“Something's gone wrong," Cumberbatch added. "We're not representative enough in our culture of different races, and that really does need to step up apace."
After the interview aired, some took to Twitter to complain about Cumberbatch using the term “colored.” The Sherlock star sent a statement to People, apologizing.
“I'm devastated to have caused offense by using this outmoded terminology. I offer my sincere apologies,” his statement read in part. “I make no excuse for my being an idiot and know the damage is done. I can only hope this incident will highlight the need for correct usage of terminology that is accurate and inoffensive. The most shaming aspect of this for me is that I was talking about racial inequality in the performing arts in the U.K. and the need for rapid improvements in our industry when I used the term.”
Cumberbatch is up for an Oscar for his role in The Imitation Game as Alan Turing, the World War II codebreaker who was later prosecuted for being a homosexual. He is currently working on a new episode of Sherlock.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com