Amandla Stenberg, the 13-year old actress who plays Rue in The Hunger Games, was the victim of many racist tweets since the movie’s premiere by movie watchers who were not happy that the character was played by an African-American actress.
Rue is described in the book as: “She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that’s she’s very like Prim in size and demeanor…” Yet some people apparently expected her to be white and many were disappointed. The young Stenberg has taken the high road and released a statement in response to the ignorant hate:
“As a fan of the books, I feel fortunate to be part of The Hunger Games family. 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.”