The actress playing Rue in the adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel says that she's proud of her performance in the film, while thanking the 'Hunger Games' community for their 'support and loyalty.'
- Mar 29, 2012
AceShowbiz - Amandla Stenberg has responded to recent racist attacks subjected to African-American actors who play the key roles in "The Hunger Games". Instead of firing back at those bigoted fans of the Suzanne Collins novel, the young actress playing Rue in the blockbuster movie thanked all the fans for their loyalty to the book.
"As a fan of the books, I feel fortunate to be part of 'The Hunger Games' family," the 13-year-old actress said in a statement. "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."
Along with Lenny Kravitz and Dayo Okeniyi, Stenberg was among the black actors who play important characters in the popular movie. Some fans of the book recently complained about her casting, insisting that Rue is described as having "dark brown skin" in the book and is not supposed to be portrayed by an African-American.
"Why does Rue have to be black? Not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie," tweeted a disappointed fan. Another fan wrote, "Why is Rue a little black girl? #sticktothebookDUDE", while there was also one that posted, "Why did the producer make all the good characters black?"
Defending her young co-star, Isabelle Fuhrman who plays Clove told E! News, "I think Amandla was fantastic in it, and she's so beautiful. She's exactly how I imagined her to be. I think it's just terrible. She's such an amazing actress and she's so sweet." She added, "I guess people read things differently and imagine things different, but I think she was the perfect choice for Rue."
"The Hunger Games" has been playing in the U.S. theaters since March 23. On its debut weekend, the movie grossed a staggering $152 million, making it the third biggest opening of all time after 2011's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II" and 2008's "The Dark Knight". It also becomes the greatest debut ever for a non-sequel title.
