Just one actor in 10 comes from a working-class background, according to new research which appears to back up claims by stars such as Julie Walters, David Morrissey, Samuel West and Dame Judi Dench that their profession is becoming increasingly closed to the less affluent.
Research by Dave O’Brien, Sam Friedman and Daniel Laurison, of the Acting and Social Inequality Project, revealed that just 10 percent of actors are working class – defined as people with parents who had manual jobs.
Actors from a background where their parents had professional or managerial jobs made up 73 percent of the industry, the survey revealed.
Dr O’Brien, a senior lecturer in cultural policy at Goldsmith’s University, said: “These initial findings make it clear that inequality is a major concern for the acting profession” adding that the “stories we tell about ourselves are coming from a worryingly narrow set of voices”.
West, who recently raised the issue, saying a culture of low pay was stifling diversity in the industry, responded to the new findings saying they “seem to confirm” his point.
The working class make up a smaller proportion of actors than many comparable professions, the researchers found. The Labour Force Survey found people from working-class backgrounds make up about 18 percent of accountants, 13 percent of lawyers and 18 percent of business professionals.
The researchers, who interviewed 47 actors, also found there were still barriers for working class people once they had become actors.
The Independent