Stacey Dash Speaks Out on White Actor Cast as Michael Jackson: "Roles Should Not Be Dictated by Race”

The actress has been controversially outspoken about racial diversity in Hollywood

There's another controversial Hollywood racial decision that Stacey Dash is sinking her teeth into. 

After actor Joseph Fiennes landed the role of Michael Jackson in an upcoming 30-minute television movie, Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon, many were outraged at the choice and blamed their anger on "a whitewashed Hollywood." Fiennes is a Caucasian British actor, while the acclaimed king of pop hailed from an African American family in Indiana.

The plot follows Jackson, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor on a cross-country road trip after the 9/11 attacks. In real life, Jackson's skin had visibly lightened by that time. While he was known to suffer from vitiligo, it was also believed that the singer had been bleaching his skin, particularly since bottles of skin-whitening creams had been found at his house after his death. 

This casting decision fell on the heels of mounting criticism toward the Academy and its nominations of white actors in all major acting categories this year—a debate that Dash has been very vocal in. 

Unsurprisingly, the Clueless actress offered up a few of her own thoughts on the matter and, as expected, they certainly continued to stir the pot.

"BRAVO!" she wrote on her blog. "I'm sick and tired of being told 'Sorry, Stacey, this is a Caucasian-only role.' Counterintuitively, this decision by Hollywood—which looks like a diss to blacks—is actually what we've been saying all along: roles should NOT be based on color."

She cited the popular Broadway show Hamilton—which features many African American stars depicting Caucasian founding fathers—as prime proof to back her opinion. 

"This decision throws that white-only card out the window. They can't look at black actors and say, 'Sorry this role is Caucasian-only.' Roles should not be dictated by race," she continued. "I want to see more of this diversity and thinking outside of the box with the equality that this designation entails—this is the right track."

For those who may think it's the wrong track, Dash already knows she's forging an unpopular one—but embraces it wholeheartedly. 

"Yes, I'm asking for a lot. Yes, I'm going against the flow of traffic. Yes, I will receive hate over this," she wrote. "Guess what?  I don't care. I have wings."