Lin-Manuel Miranda has apologised for the lack of Afro-Latino actors in his new movie In the Heights.

The movie musical, which is based on Miranda’s Broadway stage production of the same name, is set in Washington Heights, a predominantly Latino neighbourhood in New York City, and it has been praised for its diversity and for being a big step forward for Latinx representation in Hollywood.

However, it has also been criticised for the lack of darker skinned actors, and on Monday, Miranda took to Twitter to issue a statement in which he apologised for not making all Latinx people “feel seen” by his movie.

“I’m seeing the discussion around Afro-Latino representation in our film this weekend and it is clear that many in our dark-skinned Afro-Latino community don’t feel sufficiently represented within it, particularly among the leading roles,” he wrote. “I can hear the hurt and frustration over colourism, of feeling still unseen in the feedback.

“I hear that without sufficient dark-skinned Afro-Latino representation, the work feels extractive of the community we wanted so much to represent with pride and joy.

“In trying to paint a mosaic of this community, we fell short. I’m truly sorry. I’m learning from the feedback, I thank you for raising it, and I’m listening.”

Miranda, who produced the movie and has a small role in it, concluded his statement by promising to do better in his future projects.

The movie’s director Jon M. Chu retweeted Miranda’s statement.

In the Heights, starring Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, and Leslie Grace, opened in the U.S. last weekend, and while it has been a hit with the critics, it has disappointed at the box office.

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