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SKILLED ACTOR: Wil Johnson

EASTENDERS has long had regular black characters; Coronation Street enlisted two black actresses last year, so it was only a matter of time before Emmerdale joined the fold.

Introducing not one, but two new faces of colour, the popular ITV1 drama recently cast UK favourite Wil Johnson as single dad Dominic Andrews, and 14-year-old actress Tendai Rinomhota as Dominic’s feisty teenage daughter Gemma.

It’s a landmark move for the Yorkshire-based drama, which has never really been known for boasting a multicultural cast. As such, it’s just too hard to resist the temptation to ask Johnson the obvious Little Britain-inspired question: What’s it like being the only black man in the village?

“I don’t even think about it,” he laughs. “When you’re on set, it’s just actors in a space. That’s what it boils down to. Between ‘action’ and ‘cut’, you don’t think about anything other than getting the scene right and getting the dynamic right between the characters. That’s the most important thing.” 

He adds: “Yes, there is an awareness for me; I know I stand out from the crowd – that’s a given. But it’s not something you dwell on.”

Johnson’s character immediately caused a stir when he arrived in the village last month and quickly used his charms to try and woo widower Moira Barton (Natalie J. Robb). Now, things are set to become sticky for the smooth-talking biker as he becomes entangled with hard-faced Debbie Dingle (Charley Webb), raising the concern of Debbie’s parents Charity (Emma Atkins) and Cain (Jeff Hordley).

Based in London, Johnson feels like he’s often “living out of a suitcase” as he has to make the frequent trip to Leeds, where the programme is filmed. But he’s thrilled that the show has introduced a black family.

“They wanted a black actor for this role – it was specific. My character also has a 14-year-old daughter, so they were very specific about wanting two black actors for these roles,” Johnson points out. “There was no agenda to it, other than wanting to represent the fact that black people do live up north. It was about reflecting life as it is and I think that’s a very positive thing on their part. There’s an Asian family in the show so why not have a black family too?”

While having black actors in popular dramas is widely regarded by the black community as a positive thing, there’s often that other issue: how their characters are portrayed. Black actors playing roles that fall prey to negative racial stereotyping is often the source of frustration for viewers – and with his acting career spanning over two decades, Johnson knows this all too well.

But the 46-year-old, whose TV credits include Waking The Dead, Clocking Off, Holby City and of course, Babyfather believes that black actors often receive unnecessarily harsh criticism for the roles they play, and feels that they should receive more support.

“I understand the cultural concerns when it comes to how black characters are represented, and that is more to do with balance,” Johnson says. “If we saw more varied black characters on screen, we wouldn’t have that conversation. In life there are all sorts of people, and black people are not excluded from that.  
“But at the same time, I think people have to remember that we’re actors. It’s our job to reflect society and in society, even amongst the people we know, there are all different types of characters.

“In addition, people have to remember that actors have to eat and they have to pay their bills. There are a lot of people out there that are doing jobs that they hate because they need the money. We never give them a hard time. We never say to them, ‘As a black man, you shouldn’t be doing that job when you hate it.’ We’d be more likely to say to them, ‘good on you mate, you have to pay your bills.’ Actors have mortgages and bills to pay and families to provide for just like anybody else. I think people need to remember that.”

Another matter Johnson takes issue with is the mindset that black British actors should mirror the roles and lifestyles of their American counterparts because “that’s how it is in America”. He feels this thinking is unrealistic.

“The industry in Britain is nothing like the industry in America so it’s ridiculous to compare the two. A lot of British actors aren’t gonna go to America – but they’re still gonna be actors. They’re still gonna want to succeed in their careers,” Johnson laments.

“I think we should give our actors a chance to develop and not make them feel that they have to conform. It’s like saying you have to be perfect every time you step out and that’s not realistic. It’s an ideal. So I think we need to start praising the talents we have here in the UK, as opposed to looking to America as if being in America is the only thing worth acknowledgement,” he suggests.

Reflecting on his own career, Johnson is proud of his achievements.

“I’m very happy with the choices that I’ve made. I’ve been involved in successful television shows and films over the years and I even had the privilege of being involved in a film that won an Oscar and a Golden Globe [2010 Danish drama In A Better World]. So I can’t complain.”

TENSION: Wil Johnson’s character Dominic gets on the wrong side of Debbie Dingle’s parents Charity (Emma Atkins) and Cain (Jeff Hordley)

Emmerdale is on Monday - Friday at 7pm on ITV1