Harold Perrineau Defends Daughter Against 'Jem and the Holograms' Critics

In an honest essay for The Wrap, Lost actor Harold Perrineau blasted critics for saying his daughter is not black enough for her role in the new film Jem and The Holograms. His daughter, Aurora Perrineau, is half white and has been the victim of critics' opinions on her appearance. Perrineau explained that he and his wife have done their best to shield their daughter from negativity and is now angered that his daughter's up and coming career is being sidelined by negative comments.

"Aurora is the product of a Caucasian mother and a black father and is therefore not qualified or not 'black' enough to play a black character from an animated series, according to some people," he penned. "Her blackness or lack thereof is so offensive to some that they've written articles about it. They've gone onto social media and spewed their vitriol directly at her. Some went so far as to suggest that she 'kill herself' for taking the role. All, without ever seeing her work in the role. All this anger based solely on the color of her skin."

Perrineau expressed his disappointment in critics and the injustice that he has seen in Hollywood. Early in his career he didn't see actors portray anyone that looked like him on the big screen. He made it his mission to not only create characters that looked like him but also be characters that didn't fit any stereotypes.

"We live in an incredibly creative time, where it may not be necessary to have big money and power to have your voices heard. Why not use your power there? Why not put out images you want to see for the reasons you feel are important," he said. "Positive images are important in every culture and those images are the responsibility of the people who see their importance and necessity."

Jem and The Holograms has also received mixed reviews from critics. USA Today's roundup shows that the movie adaption of the 80s cartoon favorite does not live up to its predecessor. The movie only has a 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.