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Actor Michael Obiora talks to Davina Morris about penning his debut novel and challenging racial stereotypes

YOU’VE heard of actors-turned-singers, but actors-turned-authors is perhaps a little more rare. Still, that’s exactly the career path Michael Obiora has opted for. The popular British actor has turned his attentions to the literary world to pen his debut novel, Black Shoes.

Exploring themes of friendship, paranoia and ignorance, Black Shoes follows the life of successful black businessman Daniel, who, despite his achievements, is constantly reminded by policemen and shop assistants of the negative stereotypes assigned to his race.

It’s an experience that Obiora is familiar with. The 22-year-old, who’s best-known for his role as gay receptionist Ben Trueman in BBC drama Hotel Babylon, knows exactly how it feels to be typecast because of the colour of his skin.

“As an actor, prior to Hotel Babylon I was playing many similar roles; the young angry black man, characters involved in gun crime, etc,” he recalls. “When I first started doing press for Hotel Babylon, I would be asked the same question: ‘What's it like as a young black man playing a gay character?' I would always respond by saying that I'd played drug dealers and killers in the past, but had never been asked what it was like playing those characters. So that in itself proved to me that not just as a black actor, but as a black person, many people put you in a box, whether they realise it or not.”

Having begun his career as a child with a role in Grange Hill, Obiora admits that he didn’t initially think about the differences between roles that black and white actors received. But having gone on to play a number of more racially stereotypical parts, he says that he was thrilled to land the role of Ben Trueman and play a character that was “so far away from what many people to perceive to be 'a black man.'”

That said, Obiora insists that he’s not on a mission to only play positive characters, just as he’s not interested in only undertaking roles that that might be deemed as ‘keeping it real’ for a black actor.

“I just want to be as versatile as possible. Trying to live up to anyone’s expectations because of the colour of my skin doesn't interest me. If I were to be bothered about street credibility, it would be a burden. That in itself, I think is a lack of identity.

“Instead of being happy to be a 'token' black person in any show, or even worry about 'representing', I'd rather put my energy into telling interesting stories featuring black characters – stories that show we also exist outside the hood!”

Obiora’s keenness to not be stereotyped is similar to that of Daniel, the lead character in Black Shoes. Desperate for the approval of his late father and tired of being judged by the colour of his skin, Daniel is hell-bent on challenging every prejudice. But of course, doing this can be risky.

It’s always refreshing when high profile black personalities use their status to speak out about racial prejudices in their fields. Just recently, one of the BBC’s top black bosses, Pat Younge said that the corporation’s executives should be sacked if they failed to meet diversity targets, and insisted that the television industry is still dominated by the white middle and upper classes.

But one wonders how many other black execs/personalities would risk rocking the boat by speaking out against the very industry that they’re part of – particularly if racial prejudice meant it was hard for them to get their job in the first place!

“Perhaps if more high profile, successful blacks challenged stereotypes, barriers would be broken down more quickly,” Obioora says. “One of the themes in my book is lack of communication. Ignoring problems and refusing to discuss them, achieves nothing.

But at the same time, I understand some successful black people being scared to rock the boat; particularly the older generation who have had bigger struggles to get where they are, and perhaps have a different mentality. “But my thing is, I can't complain about stereotypes and not do anything about them. As an actor, I don't think I can complain about a lack of versatile roles for blacks, and not attempt to write. If it doesn't work out, the fact is I've had a go.”

Having now “had a go” at writing, what are his hopes for his debut novel?

“I have to keep reminding myself that it’s out there now, and that I have no control on how well it will do. You can never please everyone. But I hope that it makes people ask questions. I hope that the book will be a catalyst for debate. And I hope that people are entertained in some way by it. The main theme in the book is identity, and I think the quest for this is not exclusive to any specific race or person. So hopefully Black Shoes will appeal to many different types of people.”

Black Shoes is out now through Matador, priced at £8.50

Published: 17 August 2009
Issue: 1385

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