A prestigious drama school has apologised for the “appalling” racism experienced by the actors Paapa Essiedu and Michaela Coel while they were students there.
In an interview for the Guardian’s Saturday magazine, Essiedu described how a teacher taking part in an improvisation used a racial slur. “Suddenly she shouted: ‘Hey you, N-word, what have you got behind you?’” he said, choosing not to repeat the word. Essiedu and Coel were the only two black students in the group. Essiedu was told by the same teacher that he did not enunciate clearly and that he spoke as if his mouth was “full of chocolate cake”.
