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Rupert Murdoch defends using white actors in 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch responded to criticism that the cast of "Exodus: Gods and Kings," a movie about Moses that his studio is distributing, is all white.

Critics say the actors don't accurately represent the Egyptian characters in the movie, the Hollywood Reporter said. But Murdoch disagreed in tweets he sent out over the weekend.

"Moses film attacked on Twitter for all white cast. Since when are Egyptians not white? All I know are," he tweeted.

"Of course Egyptians are Middle Eastern, but far from black," he continued after his first tweet drew more criticism. "They treated blacks as slaves."

"Okay, there are many shades of color. Nothing racist about that, so calm down!" he concluded before his next tweet said, "Change the subject."

The Hollywood Reporter said it's not the first time someone involved with the film raised such concerns. Actor Joel Edgerton, who plays Ramses, said earlier this year that he does "understand and empathize" with criticism of the casting, the Reporter said. But Edgerton said it "would have been very hard to say no to that job."

Rupert Murdoch tweeted that all the Egyptians he knows are white. Associated Press
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