Swift Street actor Keiynan Lonsdale alleges he was ‘banned from red carpets’ because of his race

Keiynan Lonsdale has made a heartbreaking confession about his treatment as an actor when he first started out in Australia.

Keiynan Lonsdale has made a heartbreaking confession about his treatment as an actor when he first started out in Australia.

An Aussie himself, Londsale, 32, was raised in Sydney and is known to many as one of the stars of groundbreaking rom-com Love, Simon.

Now set to be introduced to an entirely new generation of viewers in SBS’s critically acclaimed new crime drama Swift Street, which debuts tonight on SBS, Lonsdale has revealed that arriving at such a successful point in his career initially proved difficult before ditching Australia for Los Angeles.

Lonsdale told news.com.au that there were times when he was forbidden to step onto red carpets, even when he was one of the stars of the project.

“Before I moved overseas, I was at times not let onto carpets, even when I was a key talent for the event,” he admitted, before going to suggest that it felt like a micro-aggression toward his race.

“I felt like a nuisance and it was as if I was in the way of other lighter stars,” he continued.

While Lonsdale shared that he had some “long-term supporters” that helped him when he was starting out, he admitted that Australian media only appeared to become interested once he’d made a name for himself overseas in big projects like Love, Simon and The Flash.

“It’s a classic Aussie tale,” he revealed.

Keiynan Lonsdale, Bernie Van Tiel, Tig Terera and Cliff Curtis attend the Pink Carpet on Day Five of the 7th Canneseries International Festival.

However, the actor said things have moved in the right direction since then, with new show Swift Street, which received rave reviews from the likes of The Guardian and Screenhub, getting commissioned as an example of that positive change.

“Reality is we wouldn’t have been allowed to have Swift Street on the air nor supported to be made back then,” he shared. “There’s no way. Now, in our current climate, [Swift Street creator] Tig Terera has come in and disrupted the system, and SBS, Magpie Pictures, & Fifth Season have helped make that dream a reality. I am praying that the media will also help uplift and celebrate our little big show for what it is, f**king good drama!”

The crime drama centres around Elsie (Tanzyn Crawford), who lives in a low-rent home with her heartbroken father, Robert (Cliff Curtis), who has managed to accrue a $26,000 debt which local crime boss The Mechanic (Eliza Matengu) is now calling in.

Keiynan Lonsdale is a genuine Aussie triple-threat, with acting, dancing and singing credits scattered across his rapidly growing resume.

The crime drama centres around Elsie (Tanzyn Crawford), a street-smart 21-year-old whose father, Robert (Cliff Curtis), has found himself in $26,000 of debt.

Despite their fractured relationship after Elsie’s mother left, the two team up to come up with the money together – which involves committing crimes of their own.

Londsale plays Tom, who trains at a boxing ring run by The Mechanic, and has a new job working as security at Elsie’s workplace.

“There’s never been a show like this in Australia,” he insisted.

“I could not turn down the opportunity to be part of a project that I knew without a doubt, would shift our industry’s perceived landscape for the better, and in turn shift the mindset of what is possible to achieve for and from Australians who have not always been recognised as Australian enough.”

Swift Streets starts at 8.30pm Wednesday, April 24th on SBS and SBS OnDemand.

Originally published as Swift Street actor Keiynan Lonsdale alleges he was ‘banned from red carpets’ because of his race