Nathalie Emmanuel Says Black British Actors Have To Come To The US Because Of A Lack Of Opportunity
You know and love British actor Nathalie Emmanuel.
She played Missandei in Game of Thrones and Ramsey in the Fast and Furious franchise — I can't wait to see her in F9: The Fast Saga.
F9: The Fast Saga / Universal Pictures / Via giphy.com
And she gives really incredible interviews, touching on everything from body image and self-care to dropping serious industry truth bombs.
In conversation with Essence, Nathalie got real about being a Black, mixed actor in the UK — and the limited opportunities she's had because of it.
"The British industry hasn’t always embraced us," she said. "So many Black, mixed people like myself have come out to America because the opportunities just weren’t here for us. Unfortunately, what’s happened is a lot of Black talent has been lost to the States."
"It's not like...we haven't been calling for this for many years, it was just falling on dead ears," she continued. "I think, frankly, that the US has so much more opportunity for people of all kinds of backgrounds."
"I kind of just took a risk, like, 'I guess I’m going to try [and make it in the States],' and I feel really proud of that," she continued. "The fact that the universe has decided, 'Nathalie, this is going to happen.' It’s surreal. I pinch myself regularly."
Game of Thrones / HBO / Via giphy.com