Samuel L. Jackson criticizes British actors playing African-Americans in films while citing Get Out as example
Samuel L. Jackson cited the hit horror film Get Out while criticizing British actors playing African-Americans in movies.
The 68-year-old actor discussed the matter Monday during a radio interview with WQHT Hot 97 in New York City and referenced 27-year-old English actor Daniel Kaluuya who stars in Get Out.
'There are a lot of black British actors in these movies. I tend to wonder what that movie [Get Out] would have been with an American brother who really understands that,' Jackson said.
New movie: Samuel L. Jackson, shown on Monday at Apple Store Soho in New York City, criticized British actors playing African-Americans in film while promoting his new movie
'Daniel grew up in a country where they've been interracial dating for a hundred years. What would a brother from America have made of that role? Some things are universal, but everything ain't,' he added.
Get Out stars Kaluuya as black photographer Chris Washington and Allison Williams as his white girlfriend Rose Armitage.
The satirical horror film follows Chris and Rose as they visit her family's mysterious estate.
Get Out has received widespread critical acclaim since its release February 24 and has earned $84 million at the global box office.
Horror hit: English actor Daniel Kaluuya is shown in a still from Get Out
Critically acclaimed: Allison Williams is shown in a still with Daniel from the hit horror film
Jordan Peele, 38, who wrote and directed Get Out recently told The Guardian that he didn't want to initially 'go with a British actor because this movie was so much about representation of the African American experience.'
The former Comedy Central star said he had a conversation with Kaluuya that made him understand 'how universal this issue is'.
After that it 'became easy for me to pick Daniel, because at the end of the day, he was the best person for the role. He did the audition and it was a slam dunk'.
Writer and director: Jordan Peele, shown last month in Atlanta, said Daniel was the best person for the role
British star: Daniel, shown last month in New York City, has appeared in Black Mirror and BBC productions
Jackson while airing his grievance also cited British actor David Oyelowo, 40, who played Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2014 biopic Selma.
'A brother from America could have been in that movie that would have had a different idea about how that works, how King thinks or how King felt,' Jackson said.
Jackson also said that British actors are cheaper 'than us' and are considered better trained than American actors.
English actor: David Oyelowo is shown as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in a still from the 2014 biopic Selma
'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,' Jackson said.
He also gave a nod to English actor Idris Elba, 44, for his portrayal of Baltimore drug kingpin Stringer Bell on the critically acclaimed HBO show The Wire.
'How long did it take you to figure out that [Stringer] Bell wasn't just a brother from Baltimore until you heard Idris talk,' Jackson said.
American abolitionist: English actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is shown as American abolitionist Solomon Northrup in the 2013 drama 12 Years A Slave
Jackson was on the radio show promoting his upcoming monster movie Kong: Skull Island.
Kong: Skull Island also stars Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman and Brie Larson and opens Friday in the US.
Jackson also can be seen later this year in the comedy Unicorn Store, directed by Brie, and the action comedy The Hitman's Bodyguard co-starring Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, Elodie Yung and Salma Hayek.
Critically acclaimed: English actor Idris Elba is shown in an undated still as Baltimore drug kingpin Russell 'Stringer' Bell from the critically acclaimed HBO show The Wire
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