European actors are taking more and more acting jobs from American actors and here’s why!
Non-white actors are not the only actors upset about not getting represented in Hollywood. According to a new report, many US actors are upset with the fact that many of the high profile acting jobs are being taken by British and Irish actors.
Aspiring British and Irish actors have always journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean in order to become famous in the movie business, but recently, there has been a growing resentment in the US acting community that foreign actors are stealing American jobs.
It all started in 2011, and many dismissed the trend as something of a fad and will simply pass. But this summer actors and directors are calling for American drama teachers to step up their game in order to compete with British actors.
Meanwhile, in Britain, actors are enjoying the fact that acting roles are being handed to them. In fact, David Harewood of Homeland and Idris Elba of The Wire, both felt they had a better chance at landing good roles and higher pay in Los Angeles. Then, superhero movies started casting British actors bringing Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, Christian Bale as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman.
Then there was the rise of British talent on TV. Hugh Laurie landed the lead role in the Emmy-award series House, Damian Lewis landed the lead role in Homeland and Idris Elba became a household name after The Wire.
And it looks like the British invasion of acting talent is never going to end. Marvel has just cast Tom Holland, a British actor from Surrey, England, as the new Spider-Man. And even movies based on Americans are casting British actors for lead roles. For instance, a British actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) played real-life Abraham Lincoln in the movie Lincoln, Martin Luther King was played by David Oyelowo and Ernest Hemingway was played by Clive Owen.
The list goes on and on. And many Hollywood heavyweights are worried that the acting industry is being given to European actors instead of Americans. Michael Douglas and Spike Lee are pressuring Hollywood to rethink the industry. Both filmmakers have asked Hollywood why their country is failing to produce American male actors for the major roles in movies and television. Douglas said at one point, “little crisis going on among our young actors at this point”.
