BBC Death in Paradise’s Don Gilet makes stance clear on show’s ‘white saviour’ backlash amid race complaints
BBC Death in Paradise’s next lead has shared his opinion on the show’s alleged “white saviour” issue as he prepares to become the long-running programme’s first black detective.
Don Gilet, 57, will first grace screens in a feature-length debut over Christmas following Ralf Little’s departure from the show.
Gilet, who plays Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson, will join the established cast on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie – shot in Guadeloupe.
In his first appearance, Wilson is eager to return home to London but is forced to remain on the island to solve a triple murder.
However, it is not the first time Gilet has visited the strangely homicide-prone island – first appearing on the show in 2015 as a different character.
The 57-year-old guest starred alongside then-series lead Kris Marshal and couldn’t help but imagine himself in the role.
As he watched Marshal perform the “Poirot speech” he found himself wondering: “How would I do that?”
The beloved series, which has run since 2011, has not been without criticism in recent years – with some suggesting the show’s long list of white leads being relied upon by black supporting actors enforced a “white saviour” stereotype.
Speaking to RadioTimes, Gilet said there are “superficial ways one can be described and defined” when the issue was put to him by the publication.
The 57-year-old explained he believed he was chosen for the role because he best demonstrated the ability to fuse serious and humorous acting, as best fit the part and regardless of race.
Gilet said the roles he goes for are not “black parts, they’re just parts.”
He claimed that if he doesn’t get offered a role, it’s “because that job wasn’t right for me.”
Gilet is “delighted” to be returning to Death in Paradise and is excited for fans to see the various capers DI Wilson gets himself involved in.
“It’s been a real pleasure filming such a beloved series alongside the hardworking cast and crew,” he told the BBC.
The actor’s excitement is only matched by his determination to do the role justice.
He revealed to RadioTimes that he’s avoided going for a swim, despite living two minutes from Guadeloupe’s idyllic beaches, and even inviting family to visit.
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Any of those activities take time away from studying his scripts which he is single-mindedly motivated to learn inside and out.
Most of all, Gilet wants to make sure all the decision-makers who said yes to him “don’t regret the choice they made.”