This past month has been filled with Black Lives Matter marches and protests against police brutality that have gained massive support as well as ignorant criticisms. In a new interview, Shaun of the Dead actor Simon Pegg made his position abundantly clear, saying that he supports Black Lives Matter and that anyone complaining about them “should just shut the fuck up.”
In an interview with The Observer, Pegg shed some light on the diversity initiatives being undertaken by Stolen Pictures, the production company he co-founded with Nick Frost. Pegg spoke about the changes coming to Stolen Pictures — particularly how he’s been scheduling meetings to better connect Black actors, writers, and directors to the resources and opportunities they need — and why he’s fed up with how long it’s taking the film industry to diversify itself.
“Anyone that’s complaining about it should just shut the fuck up because it’s time,” he said of the Black Lives Matter movement. “The film industry would be such a healthier, more interesting place if there were more voices, different stories, different experiences. It’s so dominated by one particular voice and colour of face, it just perpetuates a bland mono-voiced cultural landscape… Do you know that Lost Transmissions was the first feature I’ve been in that’s directed by a woman? In 20 years of film-making! How alarming is that?”
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Pegg is in good company when it comes to supporting Black Lives Matter and using his platform to help. Bruce Springsteen sang its praises, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy proposed an industry-wide donation to the group, John Boyega gave an impassioned speech at London’s own protest in its honor, and even BTS voiced their support by giving $1 million to the organization.
