Michelle Rodriguez has apologized and clarified her comments on minorities taking “white” superhero roles. The comments spread around soon after TMZ posted the video where Rodriguez shared her views on the subject. A TMZ clip isn’t the best place to truly share a thoughtful opinion, but that’s not going to stop folks from getting outraged by the general feeling.
The comments from yesterday’s post were a mixed bag, with some thinking her comments were a joke. But plenty seemed upset elsewhere online, prompting this response by Rodriguez via her Facebook page:
“I stuck my foot in my mouth once again,” Rodriguez said in a video posted on her Facebook page. “I have a tendency to speak without a filter, sorry about that…
After claiming on Facebook that her comments “got taken out of context” and acknowledging that “a lot of people got offended or whatever,” the star explained what she had intended to say.
“What I really meant was that ultimately at the end of the day, there’s a language and the language that you speak in Hollywood is ‘successful franchise,’” she said.
“I think that there are many cultures in Hollywood that are not white that can come up with their own mythology. We all get it from the same reservoir of life, the fountain of life. It doesn’t matter what culture you come from. I’m just saying, instead of trying to turn a girl character into a guy or instead of turning a white character into a black character or Latin character, I think that people should stop being lazy and people should actually make an effort to develop their own mythology.” (via)
I can’t imagine if this would’ve happened years ago, before the Internet. Any sort of response or clarification would’ve trickled out at a snail’s pace because she would’ve had to go on something like Entertainment Tonight or talk to People magazine. That’s the benefit of having social media and a direct line to the public, a double edged sword.
I don’t understand the public outrage connected to people’s comments. The site covers media and entertainment news, so that’s the sort of thing that will grab a headline and spread the information around. Beyond that, I don’t know why people find themselves tangled up in the thoughts of individual people. Take it an add it to the bigger picture on the topic.
You can see Rodriguez’s full statement below. I think she makes a lot of sense, despite the video being vertical or topsy turvy.
(Via Michelle Rodriguez / The Wrap / Captain Charisma)
