A Scots actress has revealed her shock over white actors having their skin darkened to act as stunt doubles – because there are so few black people working in the TV and film industry.
Moyo Akande, who grew up in Glasgow after her parents emigrated from Nigeria, has blasted the lack of opportunities for black actors and production crew in the UK.
The actress and her sister, Morayo, shot to national attention with their 2017 Bafta-nominated short film, 1745, about two escaped black female slaves who fled into the wilds of the 18th-century Highlands.
The pair have launched their own production company to create more opportunities for black and minority ethnic workers.
Moyo, 33, who recently appeared in the 2019 BBC comedy-drama, Guilt, said that while there are slightly more openings for black actors now than in the past, technical roles behind the cameras remain the preserve of white people.
She said: “Having worked on various TV shows across the UK, it’s actually shocking to say that I’ve never worked with a person of colour who was an HoD (technical Head of Department) on set and it’s very rare to see a person of colour as a crew member working on a film or TV set.
“I’ve had personal experiences and heard about incidents where a stunt double on the set is painted black because there are barely any black stunt doubles on the official stunt bar.”
Black Lives Matter campaigner Divine Tasinda, a Congolese-born dancer living in Glasgow, said she was “shocked and appalled” by the revelation.
She said: “It’s ridiculous and pathetic. Would the opposite happen – would a film-maker ever paint a black actor white rather than recruiting a white actor? Absolutely not, so why do they think it’s acceptable to paint a white actor black?”
A spokeswoman for actors’ union Equity said: “This practice is completely unacceptable under any circumstances.
“Equity has challenged employers on the use of ‘blacking up’ in the past and, more broadly, we are campaigning to ensure that all creative jobs are
accessible to under-represented and marginalised groups.”
