The generosity of American casting directors, producers and Academy voters to Britons has really been quite commendable over the years, but I often feel some remarkable British talent is overlooked.
British talent is changing, and not for the better. The old British way of serving an apprenticeship in regional rep, often tackling 10 or more parts in year, and finding fame after having acquired a technical armory, is disappearing as provincial theatre audiences dwindle. Bimbos and himbos are appearing with increasing regularity on the London stage “to attract a younger audience.”
This is not the end of British acting as we know, but it does suggest a future where our actors will not have the experience and depth that we’ve taken for granted, and that has found them ample work and respect overseas. The profession cannot be blamed entirely, for Britain is a country crazed by celebrity for its own sake and largely indifferent to the classical repertoire.
The TV programs which guaranteed British stage actors wider success have largely disappeared, and the modern audience is not conversant with the merits of stage experience. The BBC’s "Play for Today" launched innumerable actors in tandem with writers and directors, and although the talent has still flowed since its demise I think it is becoming clear that the depth is not what it was. "Play for Today" and similar shows made people like Dennis Potter and Alan Bleasdale household names, but more importantly they put the writing at the forefront, and gave a stream of parts to actors who could, and did, use TV work to subsidize the stage. Admittedly that was when it was a three channel selection, and a writer could attract an audience.
Now there are only a very few TV writers with any public recognition. Alan Bennett is too British for American tastes, but even he couldn’t save the film of "The History Boys" in the U.K. market. Stephen Poliakoff, who has become a sort of BBC laureate, is a favorite of the middle classes. Caroline Aherne, who made her name as the creator of Mrs Merton, a pensioner interviewer whose persona allowed her to spit-roast minor British celebs and changed the British sitcom with "The Royle Family," who spend most episodes sitting on a sofa. Although she still writes and performs, she has retreated almost totally from public life.
Once British actors waited (often desperately) for the dollar to call. Judi Dench was ignored by Hollywood for decades despite originating the role of Sally Bowles in "Cabaret." Now Los Angeles has never looked so tempting to British actors as the economic pressures take their toll on British media, but they set their sights on the U.S. after modest home success. And from what I’ve seen, they certainly don’t add anything more than American actors. They are cheaper, yes. The most downmarket of TV breakfast shows recently ran a series of snippets following Michelle Collins, not untalented, trying to make
