Samuel L. Jackson has attacked Jodie Foster’s recent claim that Hollywood lacks diversity because the industry is “risk averse”.

The American movie icon appeared on ITV’s ‘This Morning’ on Thursday (June 9th), and during an entertaining interview was asked about diversity in the movie industry, a hot topic in recent years after incidents such as #OscarsSoWhite twice in a row.

Samuel L JacksonSamuel L. Jackson attacked Jodie Foster for a lack of diversity in her movie 'Money Monster'

“No, [Hollywood] is not necessarily risk averse," he mused. "People tend to do things that are successful… [but] I think there are more films and television shows for sure that deal with real life issues.”

“There are transgender people and gay people all over television, there are specifically more Asian, Hispanic and black people on television – and behind the scenes – creating and doing things. I mean, Jodie has a voice about that but I see a lot more things happening… a lot more women heroes, a lot more interesting couples on television in terms of mixed race, especially in America – you guys have had that for a very long time – and I see the exact opposite.”

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At that point, he moved on to Foster’s recent movie Money Monster, which stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts and newcomer Jack O’Connell.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on that she’s [Jodie] just not part of… and she made a pretty straight ahead kind of genre film with George Clooney, come on? She didn’t go out and find some racially diverse people to put in her movie.”

Jackson was speaking in response to a recent quotation by Foster while she was promoting Money Monster, in which she said: “Diversity takes a hit when the studios are so averse to risk, and somehow women and minorities are considered risks.”

“People want to change, they just don’t know how. You change the culture from within, and you have to challenge people to be interested in different stories.”

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