3 February 2020, London, United Kingdom

The BAFTAS have always been very supportive of my career and I’ve always been appreciative. But I have to say that I also feel conflicted, because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving don’t have that same privilege.

I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you’re not welcome here.

I think that that's a message that we’re sending to people who have contributed so much to our medium and our industry and in ways that we benefit from.

I don’t think anybody wants a handout or a preferential treatment although that’s what we give ourselves every year. I think people just want to be acknowledged and appreciated and respected for their work.

This is not a self righteous condemnation, because I’m ashamed to say that I’m part of the problem, because I’ve not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I’ve worked on are inclusive.but I think that it’s more than having sets that are multicultural, I think that we have to do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism.

I think that it is the obligation of the people who have created and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it.

So that’s on us.