Oscar-nominated actor Jeffrey Wright isn’t mincing words when it comes to the racist treatment directed at French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé. Speaking during a roundtable interview at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Wright came to the defense of the Black footballer after a Paraguayan senator launched a racist tirade against him following France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the World Cup Round of 16 in Philadelphia.

Mbappé, France’s captain, scored the only goal of the match, a penalty kick in the 70th minute, extending his tournament run to seven goals and putting him in contention for the Golden Boot. What followed, however, overshadowed the on-field brilliance.

Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla posted a lengthy racist attack on X, describing Mbappé as a “colonized Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French,” calling him a “brute” who had not learned to write, and suggesting Paraguay’s players should have physically confronted him after the match.

“Look at this bullshit. What is she talking about?!” Wright said as reported by Variety. “Here’s this guy who’s one of the greatest football players in the world. It’s obvious to anyone who’s not a fucking idiot just by watching the man on the field, how significant he is as a player, how significant his contributions are to this game that the world loves. And he’s a human being as well.”

Wright didn’t stop there. The American Fiction star went on to call out those he believes are driven by their own insecurities when attacking Mbappé.

“You have to hear this nonsense from these lazy-minded, self-aggrandizing, self-pleasuring people who are trying to derive some sense of self, some degree of power by thinking that they can be disparaging of him,” he said. “They think they can somehow diminish how powerful he is on the field with their stupidity. It’s just remarkable.”

Despite the noise, Wright pointed to Mbappé’s on-field performance as the ultimate rebuttal. “France won 2-0 yesterday, and this is the key,” he shared. “If who you are is powerful, there’s nothing they can do to stop you.”

The conversation also touched on the larger discussion of race and identity. Wright, who has been outspoken about racial politics in the past, gave his perspective on what it means to be Black. “I’m Black and for me, it’s a political term,” he said. “It’s not a biological term.”

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