British actor Idris Elba says he doesn't believe in censorship for racist movies or TV shows
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Idris Elba believes censorship prevents people from understanding societal contexts and its underlying inequalities.
PHOTO: IDRIS ELBA/FACEBOOK
Chelsea Kiew
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LONDON - Acclaimed British actor Idris Elba doesn't believe in censorship for racist TV shows and films.
"I believe that we should be allowed to say what we want to say. Because, after all, we're story-makers."
However, the 47-year-old believes that warning labels at the beginning of media would make it clear to audiences that certain content is offensive.
"I'm very much a believer in freedom of speech," Elba said in British magazine, Radio Times. "But the thing about freedom of speech is that it's not suitable for everybody."
"That's why we have a rating system: We tell you that this particular content is rated U, PG, 15, 18, X,," he said.
Elba believes that censorship prevents people from understanding societal contexts and its underlying inequalities.
"To mock the truth, you have to know the truth. But to censor racist themes within a show, to pull it - wait a second, I think viewers should know that people made shows like this."
"Out of respect for the time and the movement, commissioners and archive-holders pulling things they think are exceptionally tone-deaf at this time - fair enough and good for you. But I think, moving forward, people should know that freedom of speech is accepted, but the audience should know what they're getting into."
His comments come after the recent intensification of the Black Lives Matter movement, which led to media coming under new scrutiny.
