The production of 2017’sJustice Leaguehas been under a cloud for years now. Last year, things became even more heated after Ray Fisher, who plays Cyborg in the movie, came forward with allegations of “abuse” against Joss Whedon, who directed the feature after Zack Snyder had to step down. WithZack Snyder’s Justice League, interest in the story refuses to die down.
Now, a number of Whedon’s former associates have come forward to share their own stories of abuse at his hands.Harry Lennix, who plays the role of General Swanwick in the upcoming “Snyder Cut” ofJustice League, and who has worked with Whedon in the past, weighed in on the controversy in a recent interview.
“I wasn’t there during the time in question. I am sorry that anybody had to experience what it was that was described. Obviously, there’s one side of the story that we’ve heard. I don’t know that Joss has made any comments. As you point out, I worked with Joss fairly closely for a couple of years there. I didn’t see that behavior, and at the same time, as an actor, my heart goes out to anybody that had to endure that kind of treatment. We get treated as second-class citizens frequently. But I did not see it, and I would be curious as to what [Joss’s] response to this has been.”
Among the accusations facingJoss Whedonis the charge that he forced Charisma Carpenter offBuffy The Vampire Slayerafter she got pregnant, that he boasted about making female writers cry on the sets ofFirefly, that he was not allowed to be alone with Michelle Trachtenberg on the sets ofBuffy, and was openly disparaging towards Zack Snyder’s work onJustice League.
Whedon’s many fanbases from the various shows and movies he has created over the years have been in turmoil ever since news of his behavior was confirmed by Carpenter, Trachtenberg, and Sarah Michelle Gellar among many others. Whedon has already been forced off the upcoming showThe Neversafter WarnerMedia conducted aninvestigation into his on-set behavior} after Ray Fisher’s prompting. As far as Lennix is concerned, he stated his hope that the entire affair would end with grace and forgiveness.
“I just hope everybody can move on with their lives, to be honest with you. As a former seminarian, and as somebody who has made mistakes, I’ve been on either side of that equation. Directors sometimes are insensitive to the needs or the feelings of actors, and sometimes actors are needy, and sometimes they are oversensitive. I know I can be. So that said, I hope whatever it was that happened, that people could move on, and - outside of some unforgivable thing - that people can forgive, not just each other, but forgive themselves.”
Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguestars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Ray Porter as Darkseid, Ciarán Hinds as Steppenwolf, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon. The film arrives onHBO Maxon March 18. This news comes fromVariety.
