Actor accuses British film crews of being 'Colonialists'

September 10, 2015 11:27 PM

The Hollywood star, nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in 2013 after his role in '12 Years A Slave', has also hit out at their imperialist language.

Leading Nigerian-American actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor, has releaserd a scathing attack on the British film industry, accusing its crews of acting like 'colonialists' when they film in West African countries.

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Ejiofor was born in Forest Gate, London, to Nigerian parents.

His father, Arinze, was a doctor, and his mother, Obiajulu, a pharmacist, while his sister is, CNN reporter, Zain Asher.

The Hollywood star, nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in 2013 after his role in '12 Years A Slave', has also hit out at their imperialist language.

'We use military terms, don't we? We 'shoot',' says the 38-year-old. 'And the way that works when you're in a foreign country, when you're thinking about a British cast and crew is that people tend to sort of channel their inner colonialist.

'Like, 'How would my great-grandfather have ruled these masses?' It's ridiculous.'

'We don't really investigate what Bristol or London or Bath would be without the slave trade,' he said. 'Because we really like those cities and the people who live there. So it's easier to close the door on it and let it go.'

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Ejiofor just might be just the person to set change in motion, as he sees himself one day working behind the camera.

'I enjoy writing and directing. So a combination of all those things over the next 20 years would be quite interesting to me.'