Stage door shut to poor children, says Christopher Eccleston
Former Doctor Who actor slams ‘bland culture’ of white, middle-class males filling classical roles
Acting was an escape for Christopher Eccleston, and he bemoans the lack of opportunities for working-class children. Photograph: Tristram Kenton for the Guardian
Actor Christopher Eccleston, known for his portrayal of Doctor Who, has criticised the lack of opportunities for working-class children trying to become actors.
“Acting was a huge escape for me,” he said in an interview with Reader’s Digest.
Eccleston, 51, was born into a working-class family in Salford, Lancashire and attended a local comprehensive school.
“Nowadays, if you’re from my background, the door is almost shut,” he said.
“All the classical roles in London’s West End go to white, middle-class males and we get a culture that is resultantly bland. To be honest, I find it very disturbing.”
He also spoke about Legend, the forthcoming biopic about 1960s gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray, starring Tom Hardy as both twins.
Eccleston plays DCI Leonard “Nipper” Read, the man who arrested the brothers. The actor criticised the past glamorisation of the Krays, calling them “vile criminals”.
