Peter Dinklage has spoken out after claims of "whitewashing" regarding his role in ‘My Dinner With Hervé’.
The ‘Game of Thrones’ actor plays ‘James Bond’ star Hervé Villechaize – who played henchman Nick Nack in ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ – in the upcoming HBO movie, and has responded to fans who suggested he shouldn’t have been cast as someone they claimed was half-French and half-Filipino.
Speaking to ‘Entertainment Weekly’ Dinklage, 49, explained: "The internet is the best thing and the worst thing. The funny thing about the backlash is it addresses what we address in the film about not judging a book by its cover.
"Hervé was judged by how he looked, and cast and perceived to be who he is accordingly. It says [Villechiaze was half-Filipino] on Wikipedia. Family members can’t change information on there."
After pointing out that a lot of what is said online isn’t actually true, Dinklage admitted he agrees with the backlash about whitewashing when it’s an accurate complaint.
He added: "I completely understand that. But Hervé wasn’t Filipino. Dwarfism manifests physically in many different ways. I have a very different type of dwarfism than Hervé had. I’ve met his brother and other members of his family. He was French, and of German and English descent.
"So it’s strange these people are saying he’s Filipino. They kind of don’t have any information. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes or sense of justice because I feel the exact same way when there’s some weird racial profile.
"But these people think they’re doing the right thing politically and morally and it’s actually getting flipped because what they’re doing is judging and assuming what he is ethnically based on his looks alone. He has a very unique face and people have to be very careful about this stuff."
Peter Dinklage responds to whitewashing claims
