Australian grappler and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Kit Dale recently appeared in an episode of the Partizan Grappling Podcast. In the episode, he discussed the challenges he’s faced in the entertainment industry despite his achievements in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Dale achieved his black belt in just four years and competed at the highest levels of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He moved to Los Angeles in 2014 to pursue acting. Initially finding success with roles including a part in “Iron Sky: The Coming Race,” Dale seemed poised for a promising Hollywood career. However, he describes a dramatic shift in opportunities that coincided with increased focus on diversity in casting.
In the podcast, he explained: “I was trying to do the acting thing for a while. It just wasn’t really paying off, and then COVID hit, and then the climate changed, and it went more to like minorities and people with different sexual preferences or sexual identities, and the DEI movement came in massively. That kind of killed me. Being like a straight white male in Hollywood, suddenly like my auditions went from let’s say 10 a month to one a month.”
Dale describes this dramatic reduction in opportunities as a turning point that forced him to reconsider his approach to the entertainment industry. Rather than waiting for casting opportunities that were no longer materializing, he decided to take control of his career by moving into filmmaking.
“I thought, you know, it is what it is. I’m not going to be able to make it if I wait for this audition to get this one thing that’s going to blow up. It’s not going to happen. If I want to make this, I’m going to have to do it myself,” he said.
Dale spent time developing his writing skills with help from mentor Sheldon Turner, described as “one of the best writers on the planet.” Working alongside business partner Becca, Dale has completed his first feature film. He describes it as a comedy about jiu-jitsu that draws from his own experiences running an academy while pursuing writing ambitions.
Dale’s experience reflects one side of an ongoing debate about diversity initiatives in Hollywood. Dale’s account illustrates how some actors perceive these changes as limiting their opportunities.
Despite the challenges, Dale remains optimistic about his filmmaking future, with plans to produce one movie annually and a sequel already in development. He recently returned to BJJ compettion with a win over Xande Ribeiro.