The Hunger Games Cast Responds To Racism Over Casting Choices

March 29, 2012 by Hollywoodite

WITHOUT divulging the spoilers, as is necessary to dissect this further… it became apparent upon the release of the movie that The Hunger Games neophytes/ skim-readers were surprised to learn of the casting of Rue, Thresh, and Cinna when the former two of whom were described as dark-skinned in the books (there’s also long-quietened whining about the casting of a White, blonde girl as Katniss).

Somehow overlooking some of the fairly-specific descriptions of the characters’ looks, and with casting being announced months ago, there has been effervescent racist ranting relating to the character arcs and the happiness/ sadness and even relatability/ empathy one can feel towards characters once one learns they’re played by a minority.

Sadly not shielded from the racism aimed mostly at her, since the media keeps asking her about it one assumes, Amandla Stenberg, 13, who plays little Rue, told E! Online in a statement: “As a fan of the books, I feel fortunate to be part of The Hunger Games family. It was an amazing experience; I am proud of the film and my performance. I want to thank all of my fans and the entire Hunger Games community for their support and loyalty.”

Isabelle Fuhrman, 15, also of Orphan-fame, was a little more explicit: “I think Amandla was fantastic in it, and she’s so beautiful… I think it’s just terrible. She’s such an amazing actress and she’s so sweet. I guess people read things differently and imagine things different, but I think she was the perfect choice for Rue.”