Chiwetel Ejiofor: It’s harder for poorer children to get into acting

Speaking out: Chiwetel Ejiofor thinks that poorer children don't have the same acting opportunities
John Phillips/Getty Images
Rashid Razaq27 October 2015
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Chiwetel Ejiofor says it is more difficult for disadvantaged young people to pursue a career in acting today because opportunities have been “cut at the knees”.

The star, 38, who grew up in Forest Gate and attended Dulwich College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, told the Standard:

“It’s bizarre. We have this cottage industry and we’ve let it all happen.

“I got a scholarship to Lamda and then I was at the National [Youth Theatre]. There seemed to be more support for young people then. I’m not sure that’s there any more. It [the arts] is looked at slyly as not something young people should pursue.”

Chiwetel Ejiofor - in pictures

1/9

Ejiofor, pictured, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 2013’s 12 Years A Slave, was taking part in The Children’s Monologues at the Royal Court.

The one-off show, directed by Danny Boyle in aid of his charity Dramatic Need, saw stars including Nicole Kidman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cressida Bonas and Nazanin Boniadi narrate the testimonies of children growing up in a South African township.

The show raised £80,000 to set up a mobile arts centre to help traumatised children through dance, drama and art.

Ejiofor narrated the monologue of a girl whose mother and grandmother have HIV.

He said: “Part of doing these monologues is to show how forms of self-expression are vital. The potential it unleashes is amazing.”

He said the lack of funding for education is a “global issue”, whether in London, South Africa or his parents’ native Nigeria, where he helped his mother build a school and set up a scholarship in memory of his father.

“I’ve been to Cape Town and Joburg,” Ejiofor said. “There are lots of kids who are having to deal with great difficulties.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in