Great Expectations actor Ashley Thomas has spoken out against critics labelling period dramas “woke” for having a diverse cast.
Thomas, 38, appears as successful lawyer Jaggers in the upcoming BBC adaption of the Charles Dickens’ novel, alongside other actors of colour in various roles in the drama series.
The actor and rapper, also known as Bashy, has supported the inclusive casting of the show, as he said viewers can now “see themselves” when watching and not feel “excluded”.
Thomas told The Times: “[Producers] have really thought outside of the box, people can see themselves in a piece like this where they may have been excluded previously, just because of the nature of the way the world was at the time.”
Thomas’ role as Jaggers in Great Expectations is one that was previously taken up by a host of white actors, including Robbie Coltrane, Ian McDiarmid and David Suchet.
Breaking ground in his appearance as the character, the actor urged that the show’s diverse casting lends a realistic depiction of life in mid-19th century London, the period in which Great Expectations is set, as society was a “melting pot of different cultures”.
Thomas continued: “You had people from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, even before the Windrush era.
“I think it is important that these shows show that representation. I don’t think it’s about being ‘woke’. It’s just about being accurate to the time.”
The actor added that it’s important to have full representation of religion, race and sexuality included, in order for viewers to connect to what is being portrayed onscreen.
Thomas stars in Great Expectations alongside Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham, Fionn Whitehead, who plays Pip, and Shalom Brune-Franklin, who portrays his love interest Estella.
His comments come as the show’s writer Steven Knight has spoken about his conscious decision to rewrite part of the BBC adaption so that it includes an anti-colonial message that condemns the British Empire.
This attitude is showcased in one scene as criminal Magwitch, played by Johnny Harris, describes the British Empire as being “built on the lies of privileged white men.”
Speaking to The Telegraph, Knight said that the changes made in the adaptation “is not an attempt to say the book is wrong or this is better.”
The Peaky Blinders writer continued: “The Empire was a horrible thing which involved a lot of British people going out and enslaving, pillaging and destroying a lot of cultures around the world.
“It was powered by greed. If there’s anyone walking around believing that the Empire was a great thing they are kidding themselves.”
The diverse casting seen in the new Great Expectations series follows the example seen and praised in Netflix’s globally successful period drama Bridgerton.
