Tim Burton gave explanation for why his films are full of white people after being hit with ‘racism’ claims
Tim Burton needs no introduction. The filmmaker, artist and producer is best known for seamlessly blending gothic elements with the macabre to create some of the most irreverent, unsettling characters in film history.
A fan of frequently collaborating with the same pool of stars, the Beetlejuice director has previously employed Johnny Depp, his former partner Helena Bonham Carter, and Christopher Lee to work with him on multiple projects.
As well as having a knack for embodying the weird and wonderful, the 67-year-old’s favourite actors all seemingly have something else in common - they’re overwhelmingly white.
Due to a lack of diversity in the likes of Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton has been accused of racism in the past.
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Not only this, but screenwriter Caroline Thompson has previously taken aim at the American because of a character that features in 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The 69-year-old pointed out on the film podcast Script Alert that the name of the film’s central villain, Oogie Boogie (voiced by Black actor Ken Page), is a derogatory term used to describe African American people in the South of the US.
“I begged the powers that be to change something about that character, because of that,” she claimed.
“I said: this is so ugly and dangerous and antithetical to everything inside me. I did not win that fight… It was a troubling part of the film for me, to be frank.”
Burton once again came under fire late last year with the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, featuring Michael Keaton, Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder.
In one scene, Astrid Deetz (Ortega) finds herself on board the ‘Soul Train’ on the way to the Great Beyond.
The scene is said to be a clear reference to the '70s musical variety TV show Soul Train, which spotlighted soul and hip-hop music by Black artists.
While some called the scene ‘racist as hell’, others said: “I'm glad people are calling out Beetlejuice Beetlejuice for its racist depiction of black people. The only time black people are in the movie is for a soul train joke.”
Meanwhile, a TikTok user claimed it was ‘suspicious’ under the surface.
In 2016, Burton addressed the fact that he predominantly casts white people in his films while promoting Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
When asked by Bustle about the lack of diversity in the flick, as well as in his movies more generally, Burton responded: "Nowadays, people are talking about it more...things either call for things, or they don’t.
"I remember back when I was a child watching The Brady Bunch and they started to get all politically correct, like, OK, let’s have an Asian child and a black - I used to get more offended by that than just - I grew up watching blaxploitation movies, right?
"And I said, that’s great. I didn’t go like, OK, there should be more white people in these movies."
Though some viewers took issue with the Soul Train sequence in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, others defended Burton.
One person recently wrote: "I actually felt a piece of amazing Black culture come from the ‘Soul Train’ scene.”
Tyla has previously contacted representatives for Burton for comment.
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Ella Scott