Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley has hit out at critics who claim that Prince of Persia: Sands of Time should have cast more Middle Eastern actors.
The Oscar winning actor stars alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton in the big budget blockbuster that's directed by Mike Newell.
And Kingsley believes that it is unfair to criticise the movie because of the casting.
Speaking to the Press Association he said: "Well, I think if we absolutely restricted Romeo And Juliet to being played by people from a small Italian town we'd never get the play on in 100 years.
"The privilege of my being in Schindler's List as someone who was not Jewish but had a massive empathy for European Jews - should that exclude us from working?"
"We're actors, we have to be allowed to change. Great producers say actors can do anything, they can fly, swim, die, be reborn, they can transform, we can't be kept in boxes.
"I have seen Iranian films and they're beautiful, I think one should be aware of a very healthy strong Iranian film industry.
"It's a little bit patronising to say 'oh they should be in this film' when they have their own industry.
However the movie has not been met well by the critics and only opened at number three at the U.S. box office this weekend. The movie also failed to top the chart in the UK, missing out to StreetDance 3D.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is out now.
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