An actress of African origin who plays Hermione Granger in the stage sequel to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter novels has stoked a row over the all-white cast of a new musical by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.
Noma Dumezweni said the idea that black actors might be excluded from historical productions set, for example, in the 18th or 19th century “hurts me”.
She told the Sunday Times of London that she was angry at the idea that period dramas should be immune from attempts to give more roles to black and ethnic minority actors.
Fellowes, who wrote the book for a revival of the stage musical Half A Sixpence, which is currently showing in London’s West End, said last week that historical productions have less responsibility to employ ethnically diverse casts compared to modern shows.
Citing the need for historical accuracy, he said: “We are trying to reproduce Folkestone in 1900 and I think you must produce something that is believable.”
However, he supports the idea of casting more ethnic minorities where historical accuracy is not a factor.
But Dumezweni, who was born in Swaziland and moved to Britain with her family as a child, said all writers see their stories only through “their particular prisms” and period productions could include actors from different races while still being historically accurate. “Whoever is telling a story is telling it from their point of view,” she added.
In 2015 she was cast as Hermione – played in the films by Emma Watson – in the Harry Potter stage show The Cursed Child.
The move triggered a debate but the selection of Dumezweni won the backing of both JK Rowling and Watson.
