A black Bond would show how far Britain has come

 
25 October 2012
WEST END FINAL

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Come tomorrow evening, I will be transfixed by the immensely talented and crushingly beautiful black British actress Naomie Harris, who plays opposite Daniel Craig as his fellow MI6 agent in the new Bond film, Skyfall. But like many other black and brown Londoners, part of me will be wondering whether James Bond, that consummate avatar of Englishness, will ever be played by a black actor.

As a global ambassador for what it means to be quintessentially English, James Bond is up there with the Bard, cricket on village greens and the traditional fry-up. The possibility of a black Bond is a powerful barometer of how far we have come as a country and how we think about ourselves.

As this summer’s Team GB Olympic victories conclusively proved, the two are not mutually exclusive. If anything, as demographics change, a black Bond would be an increasingly accurate reflection of the variegated make-up of our country, let alone our capital.

Given the nascent nature of the black British middle class — and the fact that there is as yet no British Will Smith action-hero equivalent — it may be some way off. But for me, a black Bond would show that our country has finally realised that there is no implicit contradiction in being both black and proud to be British.

Moreover, in a week when two new plays have opened in London about the plight of black actors in Britain, the issue of colour-blind casting is thankfully in full view.

Red Velvet, at the Tricycle, depicts the life of Ira Aldridge, the acclaimed African-American Shakespearean actor who came to Britain in 1833, and the struggles he faced to overcome prejudice. Blackta, at the Young Vic, poignantly illustrates the way black actors routinely get pigeonholed based on their respective shade, be it mixed-race yellow, light brown or dark black. While we have undoubtedly come a long way since Olivier blacked up to play Othello, more still needs to be done to ensure that black actors are not perennially limited by stereotyping that leads to stultifying roles.

Does art have a responsibility faithfully to mirror life as it is? Or does life often end up mirroring art, thereby placing a greater responsibility on artists? I believe that while not having a social responsibility per se, casting directors should realise that their art can tangibly influence society for the better. By putting a black actor on the screen in a prominent, positive role, it can serve as an inspiration to the previously marginalised.

After all, acting is about the suspension of disbelief. Let that suspension extend to colour. I recently saw a black actor in an Ibsen play at the Young Vic. Was that realistic for 19th-century Norway? Probably not. But was he excellent in the role? He was — and that is all that really matters.

As the success of the likes of David Harewood, Idris Elba, Adrian Lester and now Jimmy Akingbola has demonstrated, we have black British acting talent in abundance. I just hope this new generation of black actors get the chance to play the parts their talents deserve, without having constantly to decamp to the US to get more substantial roles.

So is Britain ready for a black Bond? I hope that when Daniel Craig steps down, a black British actor picks up the Walther PPK and enunciates those six immortal words: “The name is Bond, James Bond.” More than any death-defying stunt, that would be truly breath-taking.

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