Leslie Jones fires back at Ghostbusters critics

Actress Leslie Jones has continued to fire back at critics who have slammed her role as a transit worker in the new Ghostbusters movie.

A trailer for the all-female version of the original 1984 movie, also starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon, was released on Thursday (03Mar16), and soon came under fire on social media.

Leslie plays the team's only non-white member, and was revealed in the trailer to be an employee of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), something that didn't sit right with some fans on Twitter.com.

"Not sure why Leslie Jones' character couldn't be a scientist. 30 years later and a black scientist is too still much?#ghostbusters," wrote one, while another added, "The black character not knowing 'science stuff' but 'knowing New York' yikes!! #Ghostbusters".

In the movie, Leslie's character Patty teams up with Melissa's paranormal researcher Abby, Kristen's particle physicist Erin and Kate's nuclear engineer Jillian.

The comedienne has since fired back at the trailer's critics, asking why a "regular person" can't be a member of the ghost-busting team.

"Why can't a regular person be a Ghostbuster? I'm confused," Leslie wrote on Friday (04Mar16). "And why can't I be the one who plays them? I am a performer. Just go see the movie!"

"Regular people save the world everyday so if I'm the sterotype (sic)!! Then so be it!!" she continued. "We walk among Heroes and take them for granted."

Later responding to individual users on Twitter, she told one, "If they made me a scientist, you would be mad at what type of scientist. Seriously it's a f**king movie. Get over yourself."

"ITS NOT A MAN, WOMAN, RACE, CLASS THANG (sic)!! ITS A GHOSTBUSTER THANG (sic)!!" she wrote. "AND AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED WE ALL GHOSTBUSTERS (sic)!! STAND TALL!!"

On Saturday (05Mar16), the actress returned to social media to praise the work of director Paul Feig, and told the trailer's critics that she was glad they weren't in the movie-making business.

"I'm glad y'all didn't make the movie cause it would suck!" she declared. "I'm proud of my work and cast mates work (sic). @paulfeig is a genius! AND IM (sic) DONE! PEACE!"

She concluded by paraphrasing a line from the Bible.

"Lord forgive them for they know not what they do!!" she concluded.

Ghosbusters is due to be released in July (16).