Oyelowo Defends Benedict - “Hollywood offers more opportunities for black actors than the UK”

David Oyelowo is a descendant of Nigerian but British actor.  He has defended Benedict Cumberbatch, following the actor's comments about "coloured people."

At the London premiere of Selma, the British actor said: "He's a beautiful human being and I know him very well as a person and I think what he was saying was also beautiful. 

"The fact that a word obliterates the sentiment behind what he was trying to say is a huge shame. I think it is ingenuous: it's because we live in the age of the sound bite, instead of the age of substance."    

David, who was overlooked for an Oscar for his stunning portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the film added: "Look at what the man was actually saying and he didn't have to say it, he isn't affected by what he is saying. To latch on to this word is silly." 

Benedict used the term during an interview in America on equality in cinema, where he shared his opinion that Hollywood offers more opportunities for black actors than the UK does.

He later apologised and said it was a "thoughtless use of inappropriate language", and said he makes no excuses for "being an idiot".