'Posh boys' playing gangsters: Eddie Marsan on the industry's obsession with upper-class actors
One of Britain's most versatile and acclaimed character actors, Eddie Marsan, has highlighted the challenges faced by aspiring actors from disadvantaged backgrounds. According to Marsan, new performers often need financial backing from their families to succeed in the industry.
"If you want to be an actor in this country, and you come from a disadvantaged background, you have to be exceptional to have a hope of a career," says Marsan. "If you come from a privileged background, you can be mediocre."
Marsan, known for his roles in the Sherlock Holmes films, Mission: Impossible III, and TV series such as Ray Donovan and Supacell, also commented on the scarcity of actors sharing his working-class roots in the casts he has joined over the years.
After being named a vice president of the drama school Mountview, where he trained, Marsan emphasized the importance of supporting young actors who lack financial resources.
"I came here when I was in my 20s… I was a bit lost, to be honest… I was serving an apprenticeship as a printer when Mountview offered me a place," he recalls.
Marsan also argued that figures like Laurence Fox fear that broader representation on screen could "level the playing field," challenging the dominance of privileged actors.
Summary
Eddie Marsan stresses that disadvantaged actors must be extraordinary to succeed, while privileged ones can afford mediocrity, highlighting the industry's financial barriers and class bias.