Ridley Scott has some advice for Exodus boycotters: 'Get a life'

Not everybody agrees with director Ridley Scott's decision to basically cast all white actors in his movie about the Jewish community's escape from Egypt's pharaoh in North Africa. On Sunday, at the New York premiere of Exodus: Gods and Kings, Scott had a message for people threatening to boycott the movie: "I say, get a life." His duty as director of a reported $140 million Biblical epic was to put together the "best possible cast...on a budget of this scale," Scott added.

One of those cast members, Christian Bale (Moses), agreed with critics that ancient Memphis "would have been a melting pot between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa," but suggested that a cast of well-known actors was a business imperative if you want to attract big investors.

"I don't think fingers should be pointed, but we should all look at ourselves and say, 'Are we supporting wonderful actors in films by North African and Middle Eastern filmmakers and actors,' because there are some fantastic actors out there," Bale told The Associated Press. "If people start supporting those films more and more, then financiers in the market will follow." --Peter Weber

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