A new and lengthy feature piece in New York Magazine has gone in-depth into the history of disgraced writer/director Joss Whedon and his alleged abusive behaviour over the years.
The creator of “Buffy” and “Angel,” and the director of the first two “Avengers” films, Whedon was once a celebrated creator. Then in 2017, the rise of the #MeToo movement saw his alleged toxic and cruel behaviour coming to light as actors and crew on his shows (along with his ex-wife) came forward.
Things really took off when the messiness of the “Justice League” reshoots was revealed with actors Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot outlining their experiences. The new article suggests Warners had lost faith in Zack Snyder’s vision and wanted Whedon, originally brought on for simple re-writes and advice, to fully take over after Snyder withdrew following a family tragedy.
Whedon, speaking for the first time in an interview since everything happened, says of his being brought onto the film: “They asked me to fix it, and I thought I could help.” One crew member says friction happened initially as Snyder was more collaborative with the actors, while Whedon expected precise delivery of the lines he wrote.
When the actors began criticizing his writing, Whedon reportedly said he’d never worked with “a ruder group of people”. Whedon himself tells the outlet he never threatened Gadot as she has alleged in the past, saying it was confusion over a metaphor: “I don’t threaten people. Who does that?… English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech.” Gadot hit back in an email, telling the outlet: “I understood perfectly”.
Whedon also says he cut much of Ray Fisher’s Cyborg storyline because “logically made no sense” and “he felt the acting was bad” with test screenings reportedly backing him up. Whedon says he spent hours discussing the changes with Fisher in cordial conversations, and then said none of the claims Fisher made in the media were “either true or merited discussing… we’re talking about a bad actor in both senses”.
Whedon reportedly admits much of the on-set behaviour he’s been accused of is accurate but says people have used: “every weaponizable word of the modern era to make it seem like I was an abusive monster. I think I’m one of the nicer showrunners that’s ever been.”
In the piece, more actors and crew from the likes of “Buffy,” “Dollhouse” and “Firefly” also hit back at Whedon with further allegations about his behaviour. The full piece is up at New York Magazine.
Source: The Playlist