British-Australian singer, actor and reality star Peter Andre said he’s shocked by the backlash surrounding his latest film, “Jafaican,” in which he portrays a man impersonating a Jamaican gangster.
Directed by British-Nigerian auteur Fredi Nwaka, the film has been accused of perpetuating cultural appropriation due to Andre — who’s of Greek-Cypriot descent — donning a dreadlocked wig and speaking in a fake Jamaican accent.
In an interview on Friday, Andre defended “Jafaican,” saying: “What I found strange is that we took a process of nearly three years from starting this to finishing, and we sat with legends like [Jamaican comedian and actor] Oliver Samuels, doing the read over, doing the script and actually filming it.”
Radioactive Pictures
Peter Andre in ‘Jafaican’. (Radioactive Pictures)
The “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” star also told said ITV’s “This Morning” that he and the filmmakers were welcomed with open arms when they took the production to Jamaica.
“We went to Judgement Yard, which is where Sizzla Kalonji, reggae icon, lives, and we were invited in there to do this film,” he said. “We had all the approval from everyone all the way along.”
Nwaka added that if anyone would have objected to their efforts, production would’ve stopped.
In an effort to quell the blowback, the director wants people to form their own opinions on the film by watching it in its entirety for free. “Jafaican” became available on Vimeo for 48 hours starting at midnight on Friday, but appears to be restricted to viewers in Australia, New Zealand and the surrounding Oceania region.
Also featuring Wil Johnson, Jamie Lomas and dancehall star Sizzla, the movie had its world premiere at the Gold Coast Film Festival in March.
