Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Laurence Fox ‘dropped’ by acting agent ‘over the phone’ amid controversies

'Still waiting for an example of anything I’ve said or done that could be deemed racist,' actor said

Jacob Stolworthy
Friday 13 November 2020 13:48 GMT
Comments
Actor Laurence Fox says treatment of Meghan Markle is not racist

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Laurence Fox has been dropped by his acting agent over the phone, he has claimed.

The actor, who has been continually embroiled in controversies throughout the year, said that his former agent's decision "reaffirmed exactly why" he has opted to launch his Reclaim political party.

In September, Fox announced he was launching the party to fight the so-called “culture wars”. The group was described by one Westminster source as “basically a Ukip for culture”.

It has apparently been set up to provide a political movement for people who are “tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have, in history, stood together against”.

“I want to thank my acting agent who let me go on the phone just now for reaffirming exactly why I am doing what I’m doing," Fox wrote on Twitter.

“Still waiting for a single example of anything I’ve ever said or done that could ever be deemed racist. We will reclaim freedom, fairness and common sense.”

Fox’s press representative confirmed to The Independent that the actor has “parted ways" with his agent.

The star has been in the spotlight since January this year, when he appeared on the BBC’s Question Time and made headlines for refuting claims that the media’s treatment of Meghan Markle was racially motivated.

He said the row was “boring” and claimed: “It’s not racism. We’re the most tolerant lovely country in Europe.”

In an April interview with The Sunday Times, Fox revealed that his appearance had caused a row with his brother-in-law, the actor, comedian and writer Richard Ayoade, after Fox begged him to support his stance on social media.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

Ayoade, who is half-Nigerian, was reportedly furious at this, and told Fox: “You have never encountered racism.”

Fox responded: “Yeah, of course I have. I’ve encountered racism from black people towards me, when I was working in Kenya [as a safari driver] for seven months. It’s the way you’re spoken to — racism can be deferential.”

Asked by the interviewer what he meant by the idea that “racism can be deferential”, Fox answered: “This is why you don’t get actors involved in chats like this. Because I’m just not smart enough to do it.”

Fox was initially best known as the star of TV drama Lewis, which ran between 2006 to 2015.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in