He was clearly joking.
Look, I wouldn’t expect a Lucas defender to be anything other than tone deaf, but
1.) The remark is beyond the pale, even if in jest.
2.) His tone is not one of jest, but only of bitterness, until he tries to back out of it with a forced scoff.
There’s a reason every industry rag has now picked up the story, after being scooped by me. (Just google “George lucas white slavers”.) It’s truly a remark of spectacular delusion and callous narcissism.