At the recent Screen Makers Conference Natasha Wanganeen took part in the "Casting for Diversity" panel discussion alongside casting agent Kirsty McGregor and director Kelrick Martin.
The trio shared their experiences and perspectives from behind and in front of the camera.
Ahead of the discussion Natasha Wanganeen set the record strait arguing "diversity is the elephant in the room on Australian screens. There are not enough Black faces on our screens and talking about it is a constructive conversation that we need to have.”
In our breakfast shows, news and current affairs programs besides the token Black figure here and there is not enough diversity. And, for many years Indigenous actors were usually confined to stereotypical roles often set in the 1800’s.
She admits there have been some improvements compared to when she first started acting but change is slow. She is mostly appreciative that she can now play more exciting roles outside the stereotypical boundaries.
“In the last two years I have played in two sci-fi films. It is awesome, for an Indigenous girl, compared to the Rabbit proof fence years.”
Natasha Wanganeen is calling on mainstream Australia to embrace Indigenous actors and presenters. Together with other Indigenous actors and performers they are already doing their bit to instill more diversity in their industry.
Natasha Wanganeen Source: WireImage
Besides acting she has started writing and screenwriting. Naturally her scenarios draw from Country and Culture. “Our people have been telling their stories for thousands of generations. We are the greatest story tellers on earth.”
Citing the example of Neighbours, the longest running series on Australian Television, she stresses that Australian stories or stories about Australia on our screens are told through a very narrow lens.
“It took more than twenty years for Neighbours to feature an Indigenous actor. Neighbours is supposed to be a peek into the Australian backyard. Indigenous people are everywhere but not in that portrayal of the Australian backyard."
Natasha Wanganeen would like her daughter to see people like herself as well as other under-represented minorities on our TV screens and in cinemas.
She also invites Indigenous actors and performers as well as actors from other minorities to persevere and to not give up when their applications are knocked back.
