'Idea is all people are equal': George Lucas rejects 'all White men' criticism of 'Star Wars' franchise
CANNES, FRANCE: George Lucas is addressing the critics who accused the first six films of the franchise of being “all White.”
Lucas, who helmed multi-million dollar franchises like ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ recently reflected on the criticism he has received for his decade-spanning sci-fi series.
While having a candid conversation at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, May 24, ahead of him receiving the honorary Palme d’Or, the 80-year-old director spoke out about the various criticisms he has received previously, per Variety.
George Lucas speaks about discrimination
Reflecting on the negative comments, Lucas said, “They would say, ‘It’s all White men','” before adding, “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
He further quipped that he felt the only beings who were discriminated against were the robots, saying, “That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen.”
He added as an afterthought, “I mean, we’re already starting with AI, saying, ‘Well, we can’t trust those robots'.”
He also addressed the issue of race, saying, “In the first one, there were a few Tunisians who were dark, and in the second one I had Billy Williams, and the [prequels], which they were also criticizing, I had Sam Jackson. He wasn’t a scoundrel like Lando. He was one of the top jedi.”
Not only did Lucas share he received flak for showing race, but also for the representation of women in the series.
The ‘American Graffiti’ director slammed the critics saying, “Who do you think the heroes are in these stories? What do you think Princess Leia was? She’s the head of the rebellion. She’s the one that’s taking this young kid who doesn’t know anything and this boisterous, I-know-everything guy who can’t do anything and trying to save the rebellion with these clowns … And it’s the same thing with Queen Amidala.”
Fans support George Lucas' points while addressing accusations of racism
Despite the criticism, fans backed Lucas as they pointed out the film's timeline and the different situations that existed then.
One of the fans said on Reddit, "You can’t out woke George Lucas. He’s the original woke."
Someone else shared an anecdote to support the famed director, "Lucas notably wanted Billy Dee Williams to play Han and the studios balked, but when he had more clout he insisted he play Lando. So people who are blaming Lucas and not like the studios are wrong."
Another fan added, "I mean, isn't Lando a very important character in the original trilogy? Not to mention Samuel L. Jackson's Master Windu in the prequels."
A social media user chimed in, "Why is it so hard to simply admit that the '70s and '80s was a different time where Hollywood saw white males as the default character? It’s fine, it was a long time ago. Star Wars was a product of its time, that’s part of what makes the original trilogy so charming. But we can still learn from the past and strive to become better in the future, can’t we?"
Someone else voiced, "Not every piece of media from every time period has to be "diverse"."
Another user pointed out, "Darth Vader is voiced by James Earl Jones. Star Wars always had talented black actors."
"Okay I mean was it disproportionate in the 70s-80s? For sure… just like every other movie back then. Then you’re making movies about the same characters and their parents, obviously they’re also gonna have to have to be white. But other than that I had no issues with this at all, like what would they have had him do?" noted someone else.
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