Challenges of being Working-Class in the Film Industry
For many creatives working within film, experiences in the industry have been likened to that of a double-edged sword. This is especially so for those of us from working-class backgrounds, for whom opportunities arise at a far greater price. From the often eye-watering costs of attending film academies and schools, to the difficulties faced in financing a budget for a project or simply supporting ourselves in between roles, the life of a working-class creative is worlds apart from those born into a position of privilege with a free ride into fame. Where once in decades past we saw many mainstream actors from working-class families regularly debuting on the big screen, this is no longer so. Such possibilities have dwindled over time, with multitudes feeling as though they are being consistently typecast or turned away from any chance of accessing bigger roles in both acting and film production.
Working in the industry comes not without its obstacles in general for many women, and many actors from working-class backgrounds have spoken up about the difficulties they have faced, which continue to disproportionately affect working-class women of colour. Playwright Natasha Gordon (Nine Night) and actor Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Imagine Me & You, Dune) both previously shared their experiences in an article for The Independent on navigating around a world that would offer far greater support to white, middle-class filmmakers, the dissatisfaction they had experienced with being put forward for stereotyped roles, and providing support to themselves and other women actors of colour. Working-class women in film have additionally faced issues with being shamed in the media for needing another job to support themselves, or not being able to afford fees for theatre academy. Women such as Olivia Cooke (Vanity Fair, Bates Motel), Vicky McClure (This Is England, Convenience), Anne-Marie Duff (Nowhere Boy, Suffragette) and Michelle Dockery (Downtown Abbey, Anna Karenina) all heralded from working-class backgrounds and have additionally been figures to speak up on the importance of creating awareness of the differences faced for so many and why this needs to change.
Researchers from the London School of Economics and other universities as part of the Great British Class Survey previously collected data stating “73% of actors taking part in the survey came from middle-class backgrounds with only 27% from working-class.” The Sutton Trust also released evidence that showed large pay gaps between filmmakers of different backgrounds, with “42% of British BAFTA award winners being privately educated”, with well-known names being that of Olivia Colman (The Favourite, The Crown) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag).
As someone from a working-class background myself, who is currently juggling positions and steering themselves around working within film production, I reached out to other women about their experiences and their impact on their lives.
Actor, working on many independent film projects which champion the female narrative. Their first feature film 'Coffee Run' with Horatio Productions is due to be released soon.
“I myself have experiences of being involved with filmmakers on both zero or low budgets, in addition to filmmakers and actors who didn't need a day job to pay their bills. This wasn't because of their film work taking off, but purely because they came from certain, privileged backgrounds. This industry does favour those with plenty of time and spare funds. Only last week I had two self-tape requests come in, in the late evening with a deadline of 11am the next morning. As an actor, I have to be prepared to be flexible to these last minute requests, but it also means balancing my day job in order to keep a roof over my head. Sometimes I have had to run to auditions on my lunch break or just after work, knowing that my energy levels were very low and I may not have been in sync with the character or script and thus may not have been cast.
I do believe that my trade union Equity is aware of issues such as this and are taking the correct steps with casting directors, especially in regards to last minute auditions and self tapes. However, I think more awareness needs to happen on this topic and I really hope it does before I'm in the point in my life where I may need to juggle childcare or other work – which I'm not sure is fair to ask someone to juggle.”
Director, producer and actor currently writing for Script Magazine and author of The Secret Life Through Screenwriting.
“For me, the hardest part about making a film is getting money to produce my projects. Independent filmmakers who are privileged often have many people who are worth millions of dollars right at their disposal. However for me, nobody I know has that kind of money. Most of them live from paycheck to paycheck. As a result, when I made my last two shorts, I had to get the money from grants and maxing out my credit cards, which I am still recovering from.
In the future, to make my next film, which is a feature, I will have to approach investors just as if I were in sales with a cold call approach. Moreover, even though I have a sales and acquisitions company who sold my last short film, I didn’t make any money off of it because I couldn’t afford E&O insurance and the sales and acquisitions company had to pay for it.
I don’t complain about it though. The entertainment industry overall is set up to keep people out, so I am continuously having to think outside the box to get things done. But it’s okay because it makes me a better, stronger producer.”
Just recently, Euphoria actor Lukas Gage shared an unfortunate incident during a Zoom audition where a director (Now revealed to be Tristram Shapeero) can be heard discussing how tiny the ‘poor’ actors apartment is without realising his mic isn’t muted. Gage responded with "I know it's a [rubbish] apartment that's why [you should] give me this job so I can get a better one." But you wonder how often comments like these are mentioned when microphones are muted and directors and producers aren’t called out so publicly.
Creating awareness on the importance of better support for working-class actors is vital, particularly women of colour and LGBTQ+ professionals working in film. We need to be working to create more equal opportunities that support one another, to allow us to expand our viewpoints and support the experiences of others. We can only hope that every step we take to challenge this will lead to better changes in the future of the filmmaking industry.
