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Not so black and white: The changing face of Australian film and TV – By Karl Quinn Source : smh Chum Ehelepola isn’t quite a unicorn, but he’s definitely a rarely spotted creature: an actor of Sri Lankan heritage who has played a main character on an Australian TV drama. “Being a diverse actor in Australia is a huge challenge,” says Ehelepola, who played Dennis, the acerbic chief of staff on The Newsreader, one of 2021’s most successful home-grown dramas (its second season will be on the ABC later this year). “We don’t often see people who look like me on TV unless it is in token or small roles.” Born in New Zealand but raised in his parents’ homeland, Ehelepola is a member of what the latest report into diversity from Screen Australia classifies as the Southern and Central Asian group. According to the Seeing Ourselves Report, which is released today, that ...