Neighbours actor and Wongutha-Yamatji man from Kalgoorlie Meyne Wyatt is being praised for his passionate two-minute monologue on last night’s Q+A episode on the ABC.
It’s been dubbed the “best two minutes of Australian TV ever” by countless Australians on social media.
The Q+A episode focused on racism and black deaths in custody following protests that occurred around the country on the weekend.
In a powerful speech from his play, City Of Gold, Wyatt condemned police brutality, and spoke honestly about his identity as a black man.
You can watch it below.
Meyne Wyatt closes #QandA with a monologue from his play, City of Gold. pic.twitter.com/9ALFIYRAnq
— QandA (@QandA) June 8, 2020
“I’m always going to be a black friend, aren’t I? That’s all anyone ever sees. I’m never just an actor, I’m an Indigenous actor. Hey, I love reppin’, but I don’t hear old Joe Bloggs over here being called ‘white Anglo-Saxon actor blah di blah,’” he said.
“I’m always in the black show, the black play. I’m always the angry one, the tracker, the thief. Sometimes I just want to be seen for my talent, not my skin colour, not my race. I hate being a token, box to tick, part of some ‘diversity’ angle. ‘Oh, what are you whingeing for, you’re not a real one, anyway – you’re only part.’
“Well, what part then? My foot? My arm? My leg? You’re either black or not. You wanna do a DNA test, come suck my blood.
One person wrote on Twitter: “Powerful monologue … strong, enriching, empowering, graphic and sadly one that reflects something all to real with how we view and treat Indigenous Australians.”
Another said: “‘Silence is violence.’ Watch ALL of THIS. Sit with the discomfort, the reality, all of it. Sit with our racism. Understand the privilege and complicity of having a choice to ignore it. Act, do, learn, DO NOT be silent.”
That monologue by @meynewyatt might be the most incredible and shattering thing I’ve seen on #qanda.
— Benjamin Law 羅旭能 (@mrbenjaminlaw) June 8, 2020
Ummm did we just watch @meynewyatt deliver the best two minutes of Australian TV ever??! #QandA
— Nazeem Hussain (@nazeem_hussain) June 8, 2020
