Samuel L Jackson criticises Jodie Foster for not using ‘racially diverse’ actors in Money Monster

Hitting back: Samuel L Jackson has criticised Jodie Foster
Brendon Thorne/Getty
Jennifer Ruby9 June 2016
The Weekender

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Samuel L Jackson has criticised Jodie Foster for not using white actors in her latest film after she called for more diversity in Hollywood.

The A-lister said that Foster didn’t ‘go out and find some racially diverse people’ to put in Monsy Monster, despite her plea for the industry to be less risk adverse.

In an interview on This Morning, Jackson said: “No, [Hollywood] is not necessarily risk averse.

“People tend to do things that are successful… [but] I think there are more films and television shows for sure that deal with real life issues.

“There are transgender people and gay people all over television, there are specifically more Asian, Hispanic and black people on television - and behind the scenes - creating and doing things.

“I mean, Jodie has a voice about that but I see a lot more things happening… a lot more women heroes, a lot more interesting couples on television in terms of mixed race, especially in America - you guys have had that for a very long time - and I see the exact opposite.”

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Speaking specifically about Foster, whose new film stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell, he added:

“There’s a lot of stuff going on that she’s [Jodie] just not part of… and she made a pretty straight ahead kind of genre film with George Clooney, come on?

“She didn’t go out and find some racially diverse people to put in her movie.”

Jackson was reacting to a recent interview in which Foster said: “Diversity takes a hit when the studios are so averse to risk, and somehow women and minorities are considered risks.

“People want to change, they just don’t know how. You change the culture from within, and you have to challenge people to be interested in different stories.”

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