Director Tim Burton attends "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" red carpet event at Saks 5th Avenue on Monday, Sept. 26, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
September 30, 2016 - 3:29 AM
NEW YORK - Tim Burton is getting criticized on social media over his explanation on why his new movie's cast is overwhelmingly white.
The major characters in Burton's "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" are all white, save for Samuel L. Jackson's Barron.
When asked about the lack of a diverse cast, Burton told Bustle "things either call for things, or they don't." He went on to say "I grew up watching blaxploitation movies, right? And I said, that's great. I didn't go like, OK, there should be more white people in these movies."
Jackson commented that "Tim's a really great guy" and that he doesn't think the lack of diversity is "any fault of his or his method of storytelling."
The comments made Burton a trending topic on Twitter on Thursday.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016