But what about the people who actually made the film? Did they find it odd that Brad Pitt gave himself the role of practically the only decent white man in the entire film?

“Gave!?” asked Ejiofor, laughing, when I posed the question while interviewing him for a profile. “Yeah, I think everything else was pretty [much] taken. But, you know, without him, there wouldn’t be a film. He was just so instrumental in making this film happen. He’s such a champion of filmmakers and the things that he believes in and can put his weight behind.” Plus, he added, Pitt agreeing to take a role in the film is likely what allowed director Steve McQueen to, among other things, cast Ejiofor, who doesn’t yet have Pitt’s marquee name. “I don’t know what the full machinations are, but I imagine that him being around and lending that kind of support and weight to something is very freeing for [financiers]. They think, Okay, well, we can give the director some latitude.”

Pitt, likewise, defended his appearance when we spoke on the phone, calling it merely, “a cameo in support of the film.” Was playing the sympathetic savior at the end his choice or McQueen’s? “It helped get the thing done,” he said. “I sit in a very fortunate position where I can help push things over the edge with difficult stories, and this was one of those instances. So it’s merely for that, not so much that I was certainly needed performance-wise.” In other words, someone was going to have to play that part, and it might as well be one of the biggest movie stars in the world. And as to why he’s the only white person the audience can remotely root for in the film, he said, laughing, “Well, it’s slavery. It’s a slavery period [piece], so you know … ”

Read more/discuss.