Freida Pinto emotional over Guerrilla casting controversy

Freida Pinto broke down after she was confronted by activists upset by her casting in civil rights drama Guerrilla.

The Slumdog Millionaire star plays an Asian nurse married to a black civil rights leader in 1970s London in the new TV series, and at a recent screening in London, a member of the Black Lives Matter movement, who was in the audience, accused the show's creators of "black erasure" by casting Freida, an Indian, in the role.

Critics believe the role should have been offered to a black actress.

Pinto was asked about the controversy at the screening and reportedly became distressed while answering.

"Black was not just the color of your skin, it was a political blackness at that point in time," she said as tears reportedly rolled down her face. "We were all considered outsiders. For me it's important that the conversation about diversity is inclusive and not just (about) the color of your skin."

"(It was a) detailed analysis of U.K. culture at the time," Freida's co-star Idris Elba added.

Producer John Ridley also defended Freida's casting, insisting it is historically accurate.

"Those elements are real," he said. "The lead character in this show should be a strong woman of color. The fact that it is so difficult to accept that someone else of color could be part of this movement is exactly the reason why we did this show."

He also explained he made the show because it was personal to him.

"I'm in a mixed race relationship and my wife is a fighter and activist," he added. "This is what we still have to put up with... This story is going to cause consternation and hurt by design."