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Dev Patel discussed the showbiz industry after shooting to fame for his work in the 2008 film “Slumdog Millionaire”.
The British-Asian actor told the Guardian how he expected bigger roles after the flick but none were offered.
He said he often had to “wait for an Indian role to come by, where I could put on a thick accent” because “there wasn’t anything else, it was literally the clichés: goofy sidekick, taxi driver.
“I was dating my co-star at the time, Freida [Pinto], and she went on to do all of these amazing things. But in a way, she, too, was being type-cast, as this exotic beauty next to all these Caucasian leading men.”
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Patel also spoke about his role in “The Personal History of David Copperfield”. Copperfield is widely thought to be based on white author Charles Dickens.
He shared how directors, including Armando Iannucci, who cast him in the movie, were unconcerned with the colour of his skin.
“I’m the one that is fixated on it,” Patel said, saying how he “basically plays Charles Dickens” in “Copperfield”.
Patel had asked Iannucci: “Wait, so is his mum going to be brown? How are we going to talk about that? Is there going to be, like, a scene where they, like, arrive on a boat?”
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Iannucci said no, to which Patel replied, “Look, I’m really appreciative, but I’m also sorry, because I know you’re going to face a barrage of comments. Because everyone’s going to be so fixated on the colour of the lead’s skin.”
The filmmaker did receive comments, with Patel explaining how people also questioned why he’s played so many Indian characters.
He told the paper, “You’re kind of like, ‘Where am I allowed to exist? How specific are we going to get with this? What does it mean to be an actor – to just be yourself? Am I only allowed to play a guy who’s 31 years old? Are you going to check my blood type?’
“The very essence of acting, it asks for you to perform, transform, change, that’s the allure of the job… And sometimes I feel stuck in this cultural no man’s land. I’m not British enough to be fully British, not Indian enough to be fully Indian.”
Patel said of whether he thinks the industry is doing enough for actors of colour, “You know, it’s moving in the right direction. My mate Daniel Kaluuya just won an Oscar!
“And there are so many beautiful films in the mix now,” he added, referencing films like “Judas and the Black Messiah”, “Minari”, and “Parasite”. “We’re getting more nourished as a society for it.”