Simon Pegg says people complaining about Black Lives Matter should ‘shut the f*** up’

Actor addressed lack of diversity in the film industry and spoke about his own efforts to help improve it

Simon Pegg has suggested that people complaining about Black Lives Matter should “shut the f*** up”.

In an interview with The Observer, the actor explained how he believes lockdown has forced people to look at life differently.

Pegg, who has been working with 56 Black Men’s Cephas Williams to help create opportunities for black actors, writers and directors, said it was time for change.

“The film industry would be such a healthier, more interesting place if there were more voices, different stories, different experiences.,” he said.

“It’s so dominated by one particular voice and colour of face, it just perpetuates a bland mono-voiced cultural landscape,” he continued.

Pegg said it was “alarming” that Lost Transmissions, his new film, is the first feature-length project he has appeared in that was directed by a woman, Katharine O’Brien.

“In 20 years of filmmaking!” he commented. “How alarming is that?”

Lost Transmissions follows a songwriter searching for her missing colleague, a producer who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. It will be available from 29 June.

The Black Lives Matter protests that followed the killing of George Floyd have sparked calls for radical change in the entertainment industry.

The BBC recently pledged £100m to a scheme aimed at increasing its production of “inclusive and diverse content”.

As part of this commitment, the BBC has also pledged that from April 2021, 20 per cent of all “talent” on and off screen will come from a diverse background, including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME), socioeconomic or disability diversity.