He may be linked to films with underlying messages of inequality or black power, but actor Daniel Kaluuya doesn’t want to become some spokesman on racial issues. He’s starred in movies like Get Out, Black Panther, and Queen & Slim, but in a recent interview with Radio Times, according to The Guardian, the British-born entertainer said he doesn’t want to become “the race guy.”
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As the Academy Awards are swiftly approaching, there have been mutters of another year where the Oscars have shown a lack of diversity. “I’m not going to ignore that I’m surrounded by [racial issues], but I’m not defined by it,” he said. “I’m just Daniel, who happens to be black.” Adding, “What is there to talk about race? It’s just boring to me. What’s the debate? I’m more of a doer. I’m just going to do what I want to do.”
Kaluuya shared that he’s going to become much more careful about the roles he chooses in the future because he doesn’t want the industry to typecast him. Although Queen & Slim was a Bonnie and Clyde-esque story that was overrun with messages pertaining to what is viewed as inequity and inequality in the black community, Kaluuya said he was drawn more to the love story between the two title characters more than anything else. “Yes, it’s got those moments [about race] but that’s more of a catalyst,” he stated.
