Joss Whedon is now speaking out after multiple accusations of misconduct against him in productions that he was involved with, including the 2017 film. “Justice League”And his TV series influential “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
In a long interview New York magazine published Monday, Whedon denied Gal Gadot’s allegation that he “threatened”Her career as a worker on “Justice League,”After Zack Snyder’s death, the original director had to step down. Whedon was appointed as his replacement.
“I don’t threaten people. Who does that?”Whedon spoke in New York. “English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech.”Whedon claimed that he told Gadot he wanted to attach his body to a railroad track to cut the scene he wanted to remove. Gadot was misunderstood by Whedon’s threat to tie him to a track. Gadot’s response in the story: “I understood perfectly.”
Whedon is more harsh in his assessment Ray Fisher. The actor’s July 2020 allegation that Whedon’s behavior making “Justice League”Was “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” was the spark that led to the collapse of Whedon’s career. In December 2020, Warner Bros. said an investigation into Fisher’s claims resulted in unspecified “remedial action” — weeks after HBO said Whedon was withdrawing as executive producer of “The Nevers.”
Fisher, too Alleged in a Forbes interview from October that he was told Whedon had lightened an actor of color’s complexion in “Justice League” because he didn’t like the skin tone — which Forbes later retracted. Interview with the Hollywood Reporter Publiziert April 2021, after the release of Snyder’s four-hour cut of “Justice League” on HBO Max, Fisher alleged that when he tried to express his concerns about the reduction of his character, Cyborg, in Whedon’s two-hour version of the movie, Whedon told him, “It feels like I’m taking notes right now, and I don’t like taking notes from anybody — not even Robert Downey Jr.”
Whedon claimed that he had made the movie brighter, which included the faces of all the actors. He also said that he spent hours talking to Fisher about the changes. He says he significantly cut down Fisher’s screen time because Cyborg’s storyline “logically made no sense” and that Fisher’s performance was lacking. He denied Fisher’s allegations, saying none were “true or merited discussing.” Instead, Whedon claimed that Fisher’s actions were done in bad faith, meant to sully Whedon’s reputation to reconstitute Snyder’s in advance of the release of the Snyder cut.
“We’re talking about a malevolent force,”Whedon stated. “We’re talking about a bad actor in both senses.”
Fisher representatives did not respond immediately to a request for comments Variety.
Fisher’s allegations were followed in February 2021 by actor Charisma Carpenter’s allegation that Whedon was “casually cruel”for her, while making “Buffy”Its spin-off series “Angel,”She called her fat after she had given birth, and asked her if she was. “going to keep it.”Many other actors from those shows, including Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz and Eliza Dushku expressed support for Carpenter. A subsequent investigation was initiated by Variety backed the actor’s story. Multiple people involved in both shows claimed Whedon created a compelling story. “cult of personality,”And that he treated those who were not pleased with him with contempt and discredit. Person with direct knowledge of the production process “Buffy”This is corroborated Variety Michelle Trachtenberg’s claim on Instagram that there was a “rule”Whedon could not be left alone.
Whedon stated to New York that Whedon was “not mannerly”Carpenter was with her when she said she was pregnant. But he never called her fat. “Most of my experiences with Charisma were delightful and charming,”Whedon stated. “She struggled sometimes with her lines, but nobody could hit a punch line harder than her.”
As for Trachtenberg’s allegation, Whedon said he had no idea what that was about.
Whedon also made several new allegations in the New York story. The member of the “Buffy” production team claimed that Whedon and one of the show’s actors were rolling around on the floor in her office making out, banging against her chair.
Whedon admitted that he had an affair with the actor but denied the story. “seems false”Because he “lived in terror”His affairs would be revealed.
“Buffy”Cynthia Bergstrom, costume designer for the show, said that Gellar and Whedon had a dispute about a costume she was wearing during Season 5. “I was like, ‘Joss, let’s just get her dressed,’”Bergstrom stated. “He grabbed my arm and dug in his fingers until his fingernails imprinted the skin and I said, ‘You’re hurting me.’”
Whedon claimed that he did not. “believe” Bergstrom’s story: “I know I would get angry, but I was never physical with people.”
Erin Shade was an assistant for the ABC series “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,”Whedon and her co-creator, stated that Whedon engaged her when she was 23 years old, and she was 49. Whedon paid her $2,500 so she could watch him write at her home over the weekend. However, she had to keep the secret relationship secret from her bosses.
Whedon stated that he “should have handled the situation better.”