“One Night in Miami” director Regina King defended the casting of British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Malcolm X in her film.
Presenting a BAFTA masterclass on Tuesday, King was chatting with UK actor and host Reggie Yates, who questioned the director about his position in the transatlantic cast debate.
In “One Night in Miami”, Ben-Adir portrays the civil rights leader during an imaginary night with Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke. The actor is no stranger in the role of American icons, having portrayed President Barack Obama in “The Comey Rule”. On Monday, Ben-Adir won the Gotham Award for Breakthrough Actor.
When asked about the ongoing conversation about British actors playing American icons, King said: “In my opinion, I feel that the best actor for the role should play the role; the actor who really understands the role they are playing. “
“And, of course, I had my own moments of thinking, ‘How are people going [react]? ‘because, as you say, this conversation is going on and on, ”added King. “But until that moment, if I was touched by a performance, I really don’t care where a person comes from because, as an audience member, for me, they really understood what they were doing, what they were embodying.”
King said that some “feelings and experiences” shared by blacks in the UK and in countries like Brazil reflect the experiences of the black community in the United States “Although, yes, the story of how a country emerged may be different, but the marginalization of a black man is the same … in all these places. “
Last year, “Judas and the Black Messiah” writer and director Shaka King also advocated Daniel Kaluuya’s casting for the role of American civil rights leader Fred Hampton.
Yates, whose “Pirates” directorial debut is scheduled for this year, asked King about her wearing a T-shirt with the image of Breonna Taylor – who was fatally shot by plainclothes policemen in her apartment in Louisville, Ky. On March 13 – while collecting outstanding outstanding actress copies in a limited series or Emmy film for her role in “Watchmen,” and whether world events inspired her future projects, or whether she is taking it easy.
“I’m definitely developing things that are lighter on the subject, but yes, some of the other projects I’m developing are reflections of what’s going on in our world,” said King. “So this is something that I cannot help. But, you know, I’m a fun person. I laugh. “
Voting for the BAFTAs began on Tuesday after a lengthy diversity review. Longlists will be announced on February 4th. “One Night in Miami” is up for grabs in most major categories.
The masterclass Regina King was part of the BAFTA learning program and events throughout the year.