Paris Jackson wades into 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' casting controversy
"Zendaya still slays as usual," she said in support of the actress.
— -- Believe it or not, this story contains spoilers for "Spider-Man: Homecoming." If you haven't seen the movie, please click away now!
Paris Jackson, the daughter of Michael Jackson, took to Twitter on Tuesday to voice her opinion on fans' disapproval of Zendaya's casting in "Spider-Man."
The movie came out last week and has rocketed to the top of the box office, and months earlier, there were rumors that Zendaya, 20, was playing the iconic Mary Jane, Peter Parker's love interest in the books and movies.
The rumors sparked social media dialogue about whether anyone other than a white actress with red hair should play the role.
Last spoiler alert!
Zendaya, whose father is black and mother is white, plays not the classic Mary Jane but a character named Michelle, who throws the audience for a loop when, at the end, she says, "My friends call me MJ."
With fans who have seen the movie voicing their concern about the character's possible change in ethnicity, Jackson, 19, wanted to make her opinion clear.
Replying to a fan who wrote, "god forbid they hire someone based off their talent instead of their skin color," Jackson agreed and added, "unfortunately some people have to work harder to get recognition for their talent. sick world we live in. zendaya still slays as usual."
After another fan lauded her for coming to Zendaya's defense, Jackson wrote, "women stick together and fight for one another."
Zendaya hasn't spoken lately about the role but discussed the casting controversy with The Hollywood Reporter last year, saying, "People are going to react over anything."
For fans of Marvel comics, the change shouldn't come as that big of a surprise, with a diverse current universe that has a black female Ironheart (Iron Man), an Asian Hulk and a Pakistani-American Miss Marvel.
The evolution of the comics has included more gender and ethnic diversity and classic characters updated to fit the modern era.
"But of course there's going to be outrage over that because for some reason, some people just aren't ready," she said. "I'm like, 'I don't know what America you live in, but from what I see when I walk outside my streets of New York right now, I see lots of diversity, and I see the real world, and it's beautiful,'" Zendaya told The Hollywood Reporter last year.
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