Do black actors face the same challenges across the pond?
Yes, more so — it’s heightened. Because there is less work and the competition is fierce. Actors are very good there, and we’re all going up for the same roles. There was one period when I was on the audition circuit and I would see the same 10 actors all the time. That’s why I moved to the States; compared to the UK, there’s an abundance of work here. What kind of culture shock did you experience when you moved to New York? When you come out here for two or three months, you got money, youre buying the fly [expletive], blas blah. But when you live here, that [expletive] just wears out real fast, and it’s like, [expletive] is expensive. When you’re not spending those pounds and you’re making them dollars? Yo, the brand new, bright yellow Avirex, you’re not buying that this time. [Laughs.] But that was good for me, you know, because I needed that. I will always consider New York my home, because it’s where I learned to cut my teeth. When things went bad, and my savings was running out,
