Adele insisted on black actor in 'Hello' video due to police racism

Adele wanted to cast a black actor in Hello due to police racism.

It was the biggest music video in the world last year, and it turns out Adele's Hello was inspired by one of the biggest stories at the time.

Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan, who directed the chart topping video, has revealed that Adele insisted on casting a black actor as her love interest.

Speaking to Vulture, Dolan said: "It was her desire that we wouldn't cast a Caucasian male in this, which I thought was great.

"She called me and said, 'This is what I think we should do,' and if my memory serves me right ... I'm going to be honest, it's tragic not to be able to remember what exact conflict was on the news at that moment, because there are so many incidents of police brutality.
She called me right after one of those incidents of police brutality, and I wish I could remember the name. I wish it wouldn't be as hard to remember because there wouldn't be so many different instances of those incidents. They're disgusting."

Dolan says that the British singer did not insist on the casting in order to be "opportunistic" or "hip".

Xavier Dolan directed the music video for Adele's Hello. Photo/Getty

"She said it in such a natural way. She was just like, 'I'm concerned with the reality of the tensions between authorities and the black community, and I want to send a message out there.' I thought it was beautiful. I wish that it was my idea, but it wasn't."

It was Dolan who suggested they cast The Wire actor Tristan Wilds.

In the interview, the director also shot down rumours that Adele will have a cameo role in his next film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, which stars Kit Harrington and Jessica Chastain.

The video for Hello broke the record for the fastest video to reach one hundred million views on YouTube, managing the feat in just five days.

Adele will visit New Zealand fo the first time next year to play three shows at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium in March.