Christopher Eccleston gets frustrated by the lack of roles for women and "people of colour" in the acting world.
Christopher Eccleston
The former 'Doctor Who' star is disappointed that writers and directors don't create more substantial parts for other gender and ethnic groups and thinks the lack of diversity in TV and the theatre is a problem.
Eccleston, 51, told RadioTimes.com: "I confess I don't watch much film or television drama but I'm aware of the predominance of white, male roles. It's not just about the working class. There's not enough writing for women or people of colour. It frustrates me when they insist on doing all-male Shakespearean productions - a wonderful intellectual exercise, maybe, but it's outrageous because it's putting a lot of women out of work."
Eccleston is also concerned the arts in England are being shut off from working class people, and he thinks there are less and less opportunities for actors like him from modest backgrounds to break into the business.
The 'Safe House' star said: "I'm one of those actors they set up for a class rant. I still feel insecure, like a lot of my working-class contemporaries. I had a sense acting wasn't for me because I'm not educated. I was a skinny, awkward-looking bugger with an accent, as I still am. British society has always been based on inequality, particularly culturally. I've lived with it, but it's much more pronounced now, and it would be difficult for someone like me to come through. You can't blame Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch and others taking their opportunities but it will lead to a milky, anodyne culture. To an extent that's already happened."