Dev Patel Talks Race & Ethnicity After Starring as Srinivasa Ramanujan in New Biopic

Dev Patel stars in a new biopic about the Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, "The Man Who Knew Infinity." The British actor was recently asked by Esquire magazine how he feels about limited acting roles for people of color.

26-year-old Dev Patel was asked in an interview about his impression or frustration on limited roles for people of color. Esquire explained that "actors of color will often talk about how if they are, say, Indian, they will only get offered parts specifically for Indian people, or black actors will only get offered parts specifically for black people, and not just, quote-unquote regular parts."

"Yeah. It's a delicate situation because we have to define what regular means," Patel explained.  "Is 'regular' white, or is it just humanity and being human, despite your race?"

Patel went on to explain that he is happy to embrace his heritage but also focuses on choosing roles primarily based on the story. 

"I'm of the frame of mind that embracing part of my heritage and who I am shouldn't be second rate. Stepping into the shoes of Ramanujan was an honor and a great privilege. So to represent that diaspora and that spectrum of the industry only makes us more diverse. That's what I want my presence to do, so I don't care where the character is from in the world as long as the story is good. That's what matters to me."

Dev Patel launched into the limelight in 2008's Academy Award Best Picture winner, "Slumdog Millionaire." "The Man Who Knew Infinity" was written and directed by Matthew Brown and also features Jeremy Irons as G.H. Hardy. The film can currently be seen in theaters.