Movie News

Wesley, the real victim?

Mon 17 Dec 11:20 AM

Wesley Snipes says that the tax fraud charges he faces in the US have been blown out of proportion.

The actor will stand trial next month in Florida after allegedly claiming fraudulent tax refunds of almost $12m in 1996 and 1997. and the failure to file tax returns between 1999 and 2004.

The Demolition Man star said: "It was easy for people to jump on the 'Wesley's the bad guy' bandwagon. That's where I think the systematic racism comes in. We're conditioned in this country to believe that if there's a problem, the black man is the culprit."

Snipes can't deny that he was one of the culprits involved in the flop 2004 movie Blade: Trinity. He also has his reasons why he felt the film didn't enjoy box office success.

"There are so few guys who do action and do it well. Even fewer who are African-American. Even fewer who have classical-theatre training. So a cat like me coming in, I'm bringing all of that to an action movie. Since there are so few people that do this and have that pedigree, people disregard their contribution."

If you say so Wes.