Samuel L. Jackson is currently raising a stink about films seemingly casting black British actors over African-American actors.
In a report from People, Jackson posed the issue with the hosts of a Hot 97 radio show Monday, March 6, using Jordan Peele's recent thriller Get Out and the drama about Martin Luther King Jr., Selma, as two instances. In both cases, the lead roles were filled by black British actors. Jackson wonders though what an African-American actor would've brought to the table.
"I know the young brother who's in the movie [Get Out] and he's British," Jackson said. "There are a lot of black British actors that work in this country. All the time. I tend to wonder what would a movie have been with an American brother who really understands that in a way. Because Daniel [Kaluuya] grew up in a country where they've been interracial dating for a hundred years. Britain, there's only about eight real white people left in Britain ... So what would a brother from America make of that role? I'm sure the director helped. Some things are universal, but everything ain't."
Jackson, who certainly isn't having trouble finding work these days with his consistent roles in action movies and his Capital One commercials, was asked why this was becoming a trend and his answer dealt with thriftiness.
"They don't cost as much. Unless you're an unknown brother that they're finding somewhere," Jackson said.
He also says it could have something to do with how differently they were brought up as well.
"They think they're better trained, for some reason, than we are because they're classically trained," Jackson said. "I don't know what the love affair is with all that. It's all good. Everybody needs to work, but there are a lot of brothers here that need to work too. They come here because there are more opportunities and they actually get paid when they work here. Which is fine."