Hollywood's diversity issues have been a hot topic lately and the BBC has asked actor Daniel Radcliffe to give his thoughts. Oh, and they also asked him about more Harry Potter because of course.
The BBC posted and edited version of what appeared to be a larger interview with Radcliffe. During their time, they asked the actor point blank if Hollywood has been racist, or is currently racist. He paused and said, “I mean, yes.”
“I think it's pretty undeniable,” he went on to add. “I mean, that's the thing, we like to think of ourselves as being a very, very progressive industry but we sort of have been lagging behind in all kind of areas that have been very well documented.”
The most recent annual report from the Directors Guild of America for example? Whitewashing numerous films?
“I'm amazed any of it still exists,” Radcliffe also noted when talking about the UK's race issues (particularly anti-Semitism in the Labour Party) but then he turned to the US and, you guessed it, Donald Trump.
“It's fascinating and terrifying and there's part of me that just kind of can't believe that this unbelievable wealthy, privileged man has somehow managed to convince people that he is not part of the elite. And that he's a sort of man of the people,” he said. “And the sort of argument [that a vote for him] is a vote against political correctness. You just think, I don't know…political correctness serves a purpose.”
The BBC of course got on the topic of Harry Potter and Radcliffe commented again on the possibility of returning to the franchise saying, “No one's asked me about it and I definitely don't think I would do it, at this point certainly. Just because it's only been six years and I'm really enjoying being able to just do lots of different stuff at the moment. People who have gone back to franchises and loved them and had success like all the Star Wars guys have, had sort of 30 years in between. So maybe if 30 years had passed I'd be thinking differently.”
He's previously said things like “it would depend on the script” but mostly it sounds like Radcliffe is just trying to be nice to people who won't stop asking him if he's going to play Harry again.
(via The Mary Sue)