Joss Whedon has come under fire over the recent years both by former acquaintances and actors who have worked with the director on set. In a recent interview with New York magazine, Whedon aimed to address some of the many complaints about him, including addressing issues with Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, and more.
RELATED: Ben Affleck: Justice League ‘Was the Worst Experience’
When it came to Gadot, Whedon denied the claims from the Wonder Woman actress that he had ever threatened her. “I don’t threaten people,” Whedon said, before noting that a miscommunication could have occurred due to her first language not being English. “Who does that? English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech.”
Whedon said that the two did argue over a scene that she wanted to cut, with the director saying that if she wanted it gone, she would have to tie his body to a railroad track and do it over his dead body. “Then I was told that I had said something about her dead body and tying her to the railroad track,” he said, alluding to the possible miscommunication. Gadot did deny this happening, however, and told New York that she “understood perfectly” what he was saying.
Later in the interview, Whedon said that he was “stunned” when Ray Fisher — who played Cyborg in Justice League — said that Whedon had used color correction to change the complexion of his skin. Whedon called the claim false and unjust, and said that Cyborg’s role was cut down because the storyline “logically made no sense,” and also said he felt the acting was bad. He said that none of Fisher’s comments made about him in the media were “either true or merited discussing,” before saying “we’re talking about a malevolent force. We’re talking about a bad actor in both senses.”
Whedon also touched a bit on fellow director Zack Snyder, whom Whedon took over for in finishing Justice League. The director said that both Fisher and Snyder “manufactured a controversy” surrounding Whedon’s take on the film, diverting attention from the fact that, according to Whedon, the original cut of the film was not good.
RELATED: Gal Gadot: Joss Whedon Threatened My Career But I Took Care Of It
“I don’t know who started it,” Whedon said. “I just know in whose name it was done … they don’t give a f— about feminism. I was made a target by my ex-wife, and people exploited that cynically. She put out a letter saying some bad things I’d done and saying some untrue things about me, but I had done the bad things so people knew I was gettable.”
