Samuel L Jackson has strongly criticised the casting of black British actors in American roles, suggesting many are hired simply because they are cheaper.

The iconic Hollywood star claimed there were films about American race relations that would have benefited from having an American actor as its lead, citing the horror film Get Out which features British actor Daniel Kaluuya.

"There are a lot of black British actors in these movies," Jackson told New York radio station Hot 97. "I tend to wonder what that movie [Get Out] would have been with an American brother who really feels that."

Jackson also raised David Oyelowo's role as Martin Luther King in the historical drama Selma as another example.

"There are some brothers in America who could have been in that movie who would have had a different idea about how King thinks," the 68-year-old said.

Asked why he believed so many black British actors were handed American roles, Jackson said: "They're cheaper than us, for one thing. They don't cost as much. And they [directors] think they're better trained, because they're classically trained."

His comments were immediately condemned on Twitter by British Star Wars actor John Boyega, who claimed Jackson was starting an unnecessary "stupid ass conflict".