Adeel Akhtar has had some “hairy experiences” with racism.
The 41-year-old actor was born in London but is of Pakistani descent and is amazed he was able to "normalise" some of the abuse he has faced over the years.
He said: “I’ve had some hairy experiences. And now I look back on them and wonder how I was able to normalise it.”
The star – who became the first non-white man to win a BAFTA for Leading Actor back in 2017 – thinks racism is "less overt" these days but he still can't help but feel there's a particular "atmosphere" when he goes somewhere unfamiliar with his family.
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, he explained: “[Casual racism is] the feeling of walking into a situation where it’s less overt, and [my family and I] will be going to a particular place, and we’ll stop off at a pub somewhere, and… I don’t know if it’s me projecting my past experiences on to that situation, but there’s an atmosphere. [But] the majority of people are doing the best they can.”
The ‘Ali and Ava’ star – who is married and has one son but keeps his family’s identities out of the spotlight - is happy for people to see his "differences" and is hopeful that, so long as people "work harder", we are heading towards a future where they just don't matter.
He said: “You want people to look at you and see your differences. And then you want them to stop paying attention to them. We’re chipping away though. We have to work harder to make it better. Maybe I just feel hopeful. That as long as we’re striving for it, it will happen.”
