Twilight question: What happened with Laurent?

Now, before I ask this question, I can honestly not stress enough that I am not racist and that this question stems from nothing more than curiousity. I actually saw the first Twilight movie, before I started reading the books and I always thought Edi Gathegi's Laurent was amazing. However, in the book, Laurent is supposed to be French, he has olive skin and short, black hair. So, I am wondering what made the movie direction change him into a black man, with dreadlocks and a kind of Carribbean twist to his accent?