Scotsman Brian Cox — one of the most prolific character actors in film — is speaking out against the one-sidedness of “diversity” initiatives in Hollywood, which call for black actors to take on the roles of white characters. Cox says that white actors should be allowed to play more varied roles and that it’s “racist in reverse” to say white actors can’t play black roles.
Cox’s comments come ahead of the Academy Awards, which have come under fire for its lack of ethnic diversity in nominees and winners over the past few years. This year’s nominations feature many more black actors—all of whom are deserving of accolades.
The actor entered the “diversity” debate, stating that every actor—regardless of race—should be afforded the opportunity to play more varied roles. It should not be a privilege afforded only to black and Hispanic actors.
Brian Cox is slated to play Winston Churchill in the movie Churchill, which hits theaters this June.
Cox’s co-star in Churchill, Joseph Fiennes, was lambasted by the entertainment media—and on social media under the #whitewash hashtag—for portraying Michael Jackson in the TV anthology show Urban Myths in an episode called Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon. The episode was scrapped before it was aired due to the controversy.
“Anybody can play anything,” he said. “That’s the great thing about theatre and cinema – we transcend all that petite bourgeoisie and politics.”
Cox remarked upon the “brouhaha about diversity” over the Oscars, and added that the black actors and African-American projects that were nominated and won awards at the recent Golden Globes deserved their wins.
“At the Golden Globes we saw black-American projects win all kinds of awards, as they should do because they are on the rise,” he said. “We have seen it with Viola Davis and the fantastic film Hidden Figures, based on the three African-American women who worked on the space program at NASA.”
He also praised the movie Loving for its portrayal of interracial relationships.
“It’s kind of racist in reverse to say if you are a white man, you can’t possibly play a black man,” argued Cox, who remarked upon how unfortunate it was that the episode was canceled.
He said Fiennes portrayed the pop star with “bravery and sensitivity,” and that actors should be criticized based on the quality of their work, not the color of their skin.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
