The furore over black British actors in Hollywood is unnecessary

LAST month, Samuel L. Jackson drew attention to a little-known schism in the black community. Speaking of the decision to cast Daniel Kaluuya, a British actor, in the American horror-comedy “Get Out”, Mr Jackson said that he wondered “what that movie would have been with an American brother who really feels that [racism]. 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?” His claim that black Britons do not experience prejudice in the same way as black Americans—and that this inevitably changes their approach to Hollywood roles about the black experience—shocked many, especially as it came from the mouth of someone considered a trailblazer for black actors. Devere Rogers, another actor, echoed Mr Jackson’s sentiment: “we as Americans can’t tell our own stories?”

To be sure, the histories of the two countries are not completely congruous. Slavery and Jim Crow taught black Americans to distrust their government and institutions of power. Incidents of police...Continue reading