Zoe Saldana Defends ‘Human Torch’ Michael B. Jordan, Questions Critics on Casting of White Actors

Zoe Saldana has expressed her support over Michael B. Jordan's essay discussing race and casting issues in Hollywood.

In a Facebook post published on Sunday, May 24, Saldana commended Jordan's statement published on Entertainment Weekly titled "Why I'm Torching the Color Line," and even raised some interesting points about the matter as well.

"Bravo!!! Inspired by Michael's essay. Thank you for speaking up," the 36-year-old actress wrote. She then went on to list white actors in roles meant to be for those of color, which is a long-term custom in Hollywood.

"If we question why Michael has been cast to play the Human Torch in 'Fantastic Four' then we must also question why Elizabeth Taylor played Cleopatra, why Angelina Jolie played Mariane Pearl in a 'Mighty Heart,' why Laurence Olivier played Othello, Burt Lancaster in Apache, and the list goes on....and on.... And on... Let's not throw rocks when we all live in glass houses," Saldana said in her Facebook post.

Jordan portrays the role of Johnny Storm/Human Torch in Josh Trank's "Fantastic Four" reboot out in theaters on August 7, 2015. The actor's casting has sparked criticism and outrage on the Internet. Many people have commented that Jordan was not a perfect fit for the role, which was originally demonstrated in the comics as a man with blond hair and blue eyes, The Huffington Post wrote.

Jordan, 28, admitted in his Entertainment Weekly essay that people's criticisms over his "Fantastic Four" role used to bother him, but he learned to make peace with it.

"It used to bother me, but it doesn't anymore," Jordan wrote. "I can see everybody's perspective, and I know I can't ask the audience to forget 50 years of comic books. But the world is a little more diverse in 2015 than when the 'Fantastic Four' comic first came out in 1961."

In his essay, the actor also hoped that his portrayal of the character will pave way for other actors of color to have major roles in the film industry. He acknowledged that this would not be an easy feat, but he is willing to be the one to carry the entire burden.

"Sometimes you have to be the person who stands up and says, 'I'll be the one to shoulder all this hate. I'll take the brunt for the next couple of generations.' I put that responsibility on myself. People are always going to see each other in terms of race, but maybe in the future we won't talk about it as much," Jordan said on Entertainment Weekly.

He continued, "Maybe, if I set an example, Hollywood will start considering more people of color in other prominent roles, and maybe we can reach the people who are stuck in the mindset that 'it has to be true to the comic book.' Or maybe we have to reach past them."

"Fantastic Four" also stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell. Watch the trailer below.