Love/Hate actress Ruth Negga has opened up about the issue of race equality in Hollywood, and the changes that are taking place to make the film and tv industry a more equal place for people of all ethnicities.
The actress is most well-known for her role as Rosie in series one of Love/Hate, but recently she’s been working on AMC’s Preacher, which is based on the original comic series.Ruth plays the part of Tulip, a character that was originally white and blonde.
The Limerick native spoke to Comic Book Resources, and explained that she has received some negative comments from fans, who fear that she is going to change the character.
“People are saying, ‘Oh, God, I hope this doesn’t change Tulip too much,’ and I’m like, well, you know, she’s just not blonde, but brown and has smaller boobs. It doesn’t change the essential nature of this person,” she said.
33-year-old Ruth explained that although things are moving forward in terms of race equality, it is a very slow process. It’s a start however, and positive changes are being made.
“I think it’s moving at glacial pace, really. It feels like the conversations quickened up recently with the whole Oscars So White thing.
“The status quo is being challenged, and the idea that there should be minimal amount of black people onscreen, that idea will become completely unacceptable,” she said.
Ruth also described how nothing has ever changed through complacency, and just because its the norm to have less coloured people on our screens, that doesn’t make it right.
She said, “Nothing had been achieved in terms of equal opportunities though complacency – it’s always been though agitation, hasn’t it?
“And saying just because this is how it is doesn’t mean that it has to be how it is, or that it’s right, or fair.”
We couldn’t agree more.
