Idris Elba has discussed his own experiences of racism and the advice his parents gave him on finding success.
During a live Q&A titled 'The Reckoning: The Arts And Black Lives Matter', the Luther actor talked to Kwame Kwei-Armah, artistic director of the Young Vic, about the future of culture following worldwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody.
He spoke of his parents' advice to him growing up, saying they had told him: "If you want to make it in this world, you have to be twice as good as the white man."
He also said his successful career as an actor had not insulated him from racism.
"Success has not negated racism for me," he said, "Asking me about racism is like asking me about how long I have been breathing."
He said for young black people, an awareness of skin colour - prompted by incidents of racism from an early age - "stays with you regardless of whether you become successful or you beat the system."
Earlier this week, Elba lead a petition signed by over 4000 producers, writers, actors and directors to end racism in the British entertainment industry.
The petition, which was also signed by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, and Michaela Coel, called for an end to 'excuses' over lack of diversity.
The letter stated: 'Our stories are referred to as 'too small' because they do not centre around white characters or a small subset of actors whom you deem valuable; they are not always written by the same white writers that you deem to be 'safe'. Banish 'we already have a diverse project on our slate'.’
