Audiences Want More Diverse Film Casts, Despite Studio Fears — Study

When Hollywood is taken to task for the lack of diversity in high-profile films, decision-makers' responses tend to boil down to the idea that they're actually giving audiences what they want. Movies led by familiar (usually meaning white) faces are the most profitable, they argue, hence the casting of Scarlett Johansson in "Ghost in the Shell" and Tilda Swinton in "Doctor Strange."

Venkat Kuppuswamy and Peter Younkin, professors who teach in the business schools of the University of North Carolina and McGill University, respectively, looked through 723 movies that went into wide release between 2011 and 2015, confirming what most already know: White actors dominate mainstream Hollywood. 

Read full article: Indiewire, May 18, 2016