NEW YORK, Nov. 11 (UPI) — Actor Aziz Ansari is speaking out against the lack of diversity still plaguing the entertainment industry.
In an essay published in the New York Times Tuesday, the Master of None star critiqued Hollywood for labeling an “everyman” as a straight white male. He also detailed his personal experiences with being contacted for roles mainly based on his appearance as an actor of Indian decent.
“Even though I’ve sold out Madison Square Garden as a standup comedian and have appeared in several films and a TV series, when my phone rings, the roles I’m offered are often defined by ethnicity and often require accents,” he said.
Ansari continued to describe instances — modern and historical — where non-Indians were “browned up” for Indian roles. “These days, Indian people, real Indian people, pop up way more in film and television, but fake Indians are still around more than you think,” he said, citing 1988’s Short Circuit 2 as well as The Martian and The Social Network.
“I still wonder if we’re trying hard enough,” Ansari mused regarding the television and film industries’ treatment of diversity. In 2013, “only 16.7 percent of lead film roles went to minorities,” he said. “Broadcast TV was worse, with only 6.4 percent of lead roles going to nonwhites in the 2012-2013 season. In cable, minorities did better, getting 19.3 percent of the roles.”
Later Tuesday, the famed comedian and Parks and Recreation actor appeared opposite Stephen Colbert on The Late Show to promote Master of None and talk diversity. Colbert asked if having him on his show counts towards diversity on television.
“Yeah, it’s really diverse right now. Like 50 percent diverse right now…this is like an all time high for CBS,” he joked.
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