Super Brits

Guest blog: Catrin Brace, Board Member at BAFTA New York
Photo credit: BAFTA East Coast.

The Sheriff of Nottingham, Hannibal Lecter and even Jeremy Iron’s portrayal of Scar in The Lion King are all British villains, but it seems we are not the rogues anymore. Gone are the days where the Brits are the ‘baddies’. The ‘accent of evil’, as some have called it, is over!

Arguably, the three most popular Superheroes are now played by British actors, the most recent of which being announced last week. Young English actor Henry Cavill has been cast as the new man-of-steel for the upcoming Superman remakes, while Andrew Garfield will play Spiderman and Welsh actor Christian Bale has been the caped-crusader in the last three Batman movies. It seems the Brits have infiltrated the big three imaginary crime-fighters!

So while the Brits prepare to keep the streets of New York City (and mythical cities based on New York) free of evil criminals, BAFTA are getting ready to welcome one of British film’s most infamous bad-guys to the Big Apple: Alan Rickman. Alan played Robin Hood’s nemesis in Prince of Thieves, Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the scary Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. He will be the first guest in a new series called, “Monday evenings with BAFTA New York” and will spend the night answering questions with Lisa Schwarzbaum, Film Critic at Entertainment Weekly, discussing his most famous works as a Brit making his way in Hollywood.

The British writer, producer, director and actor is one of many in the industry that have shared equal success both at home and across the pond, highlighting British talent in the arts. You only have to look at the nominations for this year’s Orange BAFTA Film Awards, which takes place this Sunday, to understand the impact of British movies on a global scale. British actors/actresses are not the only ones being celebrated.  British directors, screenplay writers and animators have produced some of the last years most successful movies. Recently, Sir Alan Collins hosted a reception for the Queen’s latest Honourees, in which Peter Tear was celebrated for his role in bringing British theatre to the United States with his 59E59 productions.

This seems an epic moment in movie history: Brits being given responsibility for protecting the citizens of America (albeit, in a make-believe comic-book world). It looks like the tables are turning. Now, when the bad guy talks about his evil plans, he won’t be using the Queen’s English. British cinema is riding on the crest of a wave at the moment, and rightly so. Let’s hope our new “Super Brits” do the job and save the day, like superheroes always do…