30 Nov 2010

Worker sacked for race-based Hobbit casting

4:07 pm on 30 November 2010

A casting assistant from The Hobbit has been sacked for applying race-based critieria while casting extras.

A spokesperson for director Sir Peter Jackson's WingNut Films, which is producing the film, says the only criteria they have for casting hobbits is based on age and height.

However, they say the casting assistant, employed by WingNut as a contractor, applied his own criteria which was that people had to have a pale complexion.

The spokesperson says that is unacceptable and they have dismissed the casting assistant.