Jewish actress Sophie Okonedo: ‘Tricky’ to ensure diversity in entertainment
With both Nigerian and Jewish roots, the actress reflects on the opportunities and obstacles facing minorities in the industry
Sophie Okonedo has said it is still proving “tricky” to ensure there is true diversity of class in the entertainment industry.
The actress, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Hotel Rwanda in 2005, said there is much more opportunity now for performers from diverse backgrounds but there are still obstacles.
She played Queen Margaret in the BBC’s Shakespeare adaptations The Hollow Crown in 2016 with director Dominic Cooke, and told ES Magazine: “We never talked about my colour, it was not a discussion we had.”
She is currently starring as Cleopatra in Antony And Cleopatra at the National Theatre and added: “Theatre has always been ahead in terms of colourblind casting.
“That’s what’s interesting about being this age, because the parts are just much more interesting.
“There is a lot more opportunity now and I welcome all the conversations we are having about diversity, about women and about class … I come from a very working-class background and I think the class thing is still probably more tricky.”
Okonedo said the fact that she had a Jewish mother and Nigerian father helped her in her acting, adding: “I am not a practising Jew and I am not embedded in Nigerian culture, but I have a sense of those things inside me, which is very handy for acting. There are a lot of things I can draw on.”
The full interview appears in this week’s edition of ES Magazine, which is out now.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
