EastEnders icon Rudolph Walker on the challenges of being a Black actor
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Up Next
Iconic EastEnders star Rudolph Walker – who has played Patrick Trueman since 2001 – opened up about the challenges he faced being a Black actor.
During Thursday’s This Morning with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley the soap star, 85, spoke about his early experiences in the industry.
‘I never use the word difficult, it is challenging,’ he told the hosts.
‘I had a mindset when I came to the UK, there is an aim and I want to succeed here. So whatever challenges that were thrown, I faced it head on and found a way round.’
Presenter Ben talked about how Rudolph was told certain roles weren’t for ‘ a Black actor.’
Rudolph added: ‘Of course parts were written few and far bewteen. If you were a doctor it had to be mentioned in the episode “Black doctor, Black road sweeper, Black bus conductor.”
Rudolph has played Patrick Trueman for more than 20 years (Picture: BBC)
‘That was the challenge we were facing, and many of us fought to have that changed.
He concluded: ‘You go to a hospital and 80% of those nurses were from the Caribbean, and if you’re lying there ill some of them would say “I don’t want to be touched by a Black nurse,” but the majority of them were well cared for.’
Earlier this year the Thin Blue Line star – who will celebrate his 85th birthday imminently – set up the Rudolph Walker Foundation to ‘unlock the potential and promote the wellbeing of young people, by involving them in high-quality performing arts experiences and welcoming them into an inspiring and creative family.’
And he has no plans of slowing down as he told Metro.co.uk in 2022.
‘Retiring? What’s that?! No, I enjoy it, I enjoy being there, I enjoy working,’ he said about the possibility of leaving the show.
‘I’m sure there are going to be storylines that are going to come up, having been here for a number of years. I’m sure there are exciting things in the pipeline,’ he added at the time.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings