Actress Thandie Newton has said she "can't work" in the UK because there are no roles for black and minority ethnic actors in historical dramas.
London-born Newton said the number of costume dramas had led to "slim pickings for people of colour".
Her criticism comes after British Film Institute research found that 59% of UK films since 2006 had no black actors in any role.
Newton's next UK TV role will see her appear in BBC One's Line of Duty.
Speaking to the Sunday Times Magazine, the mother-of-three said: "I love being here, but I can't work, because I can't do Downton Abbey, can't be in Victoria, can't be in Call The Midwife - well, I could, but I don't want to play someone who's being racially abused."
"I'm not interested in that, don't want to do it... there just seems to be a desire for stuff about the Royal Family, stuff from the past, which is understandable, but it just makes it slim pickings for people of colour."
More:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39319503Um ... which aspect of "historical drama" covering a nation that has less native skin colour than your average vampire is proving the stumbling block here?