00:00Lin-Manuel Miranda is speaking out after Warner Brothers' adaptation of his Tony-winning musical In the Heights
00:05has been criticized for its failure to accurately represent its namesake neighborhood's Afro-Latino population.
00:13On Sunday, a video from The Root went viral in which director John M. Chu and some of the film's cast were confronted over colorism in the movie's casting choices.
00:22What are your thoughts on the lack of Black, Latinx people represented in your film?
00:28Yeah, I mean, I think that that was something we talked about.
00:32Chu acknowledged that it was a fair conversation to have, adding,
00:36I hope that encourages more people to tell more stories and get out there and do it right.
00:40I didn't realize until making this movie that I didn't really get to see myself or people that look like my siblings that are darker than me on screen.
00:51Leslie Grace, the only Afro-Latina among the principal cast, also added,
00:54so many times were put on screen in one particular way.
00:58And since we get so little opportunities, everyone wants to claim that one story because it's all we've got.
01:03Then on Monday afternoon, Miranda himself responded to the criticism.
01:07In a message posted to Twitter, he wrote,
01:09I'm seeing the discussion around Afro-Latino representation in our film this weekend,
01:13and it's clear that many in our dark-skinned Afro-Latino community don't feel sufficiently represented within it,
01:19particularly among the leading roles.
01:21I can hear the hurt and frustration over colorism of feeling still unseen in the feedback.
01:26He added,
01:27I hear that without sufficient dark-skinned Afro-Latino representation,
01:31the work feels extractive of the community we wanted so much to represent with pride and joy.
01:36I'm learning from the feedback.
01:38I thank you for raising it, and I'm listening.
01:40He concluded his statement with a promise to do better writing.
01:43I'm dedicated to the learning and evolving we all have to do to make sure we are honoring our diverse and vibrant community.
01:49For more on this story, head to THR.com.
01:52For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
01:56For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
01:57For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
01:58For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
01:58For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
01:59For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:00For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:00For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:01For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:02For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:03For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:04For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:05For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:06For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:07For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
02:08For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
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