Sofia Carson Is Defending The Netflix Movie "Purple Hearts" Despite The Backlash Against It

Sofia Carson is defending her new movie Purple Hearts despite the backlash it's been receiving.

Sofia Carson
Noam Galai / Getty Images

She stars as Cassie, a singer-songwriter who marries Luke, a Marine, to get healthcare benefits after being diagnosed with diabetes.

Sofia Carson as Cassie in Purple Hearts
Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

The movie came out on Netflix two weeks ago and it's since received a lot of backlash.

People have complained that the movie was racist, promoting anti-Arab sentiments, and it was just military propaganda.

Sofia said, "Why I fell in love with the movie is that it’s a love story but it’s so much more than that. It’s two hearts, one red, one blue, two worlds apart, who are really raised to hate each other."

Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine
Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

"Through the power of love, they learn to lead with empathy and compassion and love each other and turn into this beautiful shade of purple."

Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine
Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

Purple Hearts director, Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, admitted that she understands the backlash but pushed back and said, "I hope that people understand that in order for characters to grow, they need to be flawed in the beginning."

Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine, director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
Mark Fellman / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

"They both have been neglected by the system; he’s hurt in a war that doesn’t seem to be ending and she’s slipping through the cracks of the healthcare system."

Sofia Carson, director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
Mark Fellman / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

She added, "So they’re both neglected by the system, and then they live under one roof, and in these extreme circumstances, they learn to become more moderate and to listen to each other and to love."

Sofia Carson, Debbie Fan, Nicholas Galitzine
Mark Fellman / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

But despite the movie's criticism, it's been watched for over 100 million hours and it's currently one of Netflix's most-watched movies.

You can watch the trailer for the movie here.