About a month ago, the Hollywood Reporter had a lengthy cover story about the still-ongoing issues between Ray Fisher and Warner Bros regarding Joss Whedon. When Whedon stepped in to complete Justice League, he marginalized Fisher and Fisher’s character Cyborg and Whedon treated Fisher abominably. As THR revealed, Fisher was far from the only Justice League cast member to have issues with Whedon. Jason Momoa and Ben Affleck couldn’t stand Whedon and pushed back against his script rewrite as well. And then there was Gal Gadot. According to THR:
A knowledgeable source says Gal Gadot had multiple concerns with the revised version of the film, including “issues about her character being more aggressive than her character in Wonder Woman. She wanted to make the character flow from one movie to the next.”
The biggest clash, sources say, came when Whedon pushed Gadot to record lines she didn’t like, threatened to harm Gadot’s career and disparaged Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins. While Fisher declines to discuss any of what transpired with Gadot, a witness on the production who later spoke to investigators says that after one clash, “Joss was bragging that he’s had it out with Gal. He told her he’s the writer and she’s going to shut up and say the lines and he can make her look incredibly stupid in this movie.”
A knowledgeable source says Gadot and Jenkins went to battle, culminating in a meeting with then-Warners chairman Kevin Tsujihara. Asked for comment, Gadot says in a statement: “I had my issues with [Whedon] and Warner Bros. handled it in a timely manner.”
[From THR via previous CB story]
Gadot had never confirmed anything on the record beyond the fact that there was an issue with Whedon and she went over his head. She also hasn’t done much to support Ray Fisher, at least publicly, but it’s possible she’s supported him privately. In any case, Gal went on the record over the weekend:
While appearing on Israel’s N12 News to discuss her role as Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot claimed Justice League director Joss Whedon threatened her career, confirming previous reporting by The Hollywood Reporter.
In the interview, N12’s Yuna Leibzon mentioned to Gadot how previous reporting of her experiences with the director included him not approving of her trying to make changes in her character. “He even said you should just be pretty and say your lines. You weren’t going to let him get away with it,” N12’s Yuna Leibzon asked Gadot, to which the actress responded “No.”
“What I had with Joss basically is that he kind of threatened my career and said if I did something he would make my career miserable. I handled it on the spot,” Gadot said.
Joss Whedon is such a pig. I believed everything in THR’s report last month, and I believe Whedon had bragged to his bros that he put Gadot in her place and threatened her. I respect the way she and Patty Jenkins handled it. Justice League just sounds like it was a miserable experience from start to finish, my God.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Imagine how much worse it would have been for her if she didn’t have the huge Wonder Woman clout. I still can’t get over that he was allowed to be on the set of Buffy and work even though there was a rule he could not be alone with one of the young (underage) actresses. Like, how screwed up are things if a person is so bad there is a rule he can’t be alone with children, but is continued to be allowed to work, get paid, and be lauded. This was a long time coming and he deserves to burn. Glad Gal verbally confirmed it, even if it was quite short. Everyone who has experienced any kind of trauma like this – and it is a spectrum – has a right to express as much or as little of it as they like.
Whedon is an ass. No one has ever disputed that. But lets look at actual facts. During Buffy he wasn’t allowed around Tractenburg. But no one has ever said why. What if he just demanded that she act like an adult and that made her cry. Not saying that’s right but you can’t say it’s wrong either. Charisma Carpenter, does anyone remember when Buffy was actually airing. They kept stopping filming so Sarah Michelle Geller could film movies. So maybe when she announce her pregnancy it screwed with his ideas for the next season. Maybe that was his last straw. Again don’t know if that’s true, but don’t know it isn’t either. Justice League, has anyone else thought that Snyder left Whedon with a 4 plus hour movie. And Warner Bros. wanted a little over 2. Plus they wanted it delivered around the same time they already had the premiere scheduled. He didn’t have time to listen to all the actors whine about losing their lines. Yes he was rude and a pig. But no one including Fisher have accused him of anything illegal. And really before the movie came out which heroes did you really want to see. Superman, Batman, & Wonder Woman. So he rewrote it and cut Fishers role. Plus Gals point was stupid. How many years were there supposed to be between WW84, and Justice League? 37. Yeah I would hope Wonder Woman would grow and change some in that time. Again Whedon is a diva. But so are most actors.
If someone as big as Ben Affleck had issues with Whedon or saw any of this happening, he should be the one speaking up here. In fact, they all should’ve banded together when Ray Fisher shared his experience. He’s the least famous of all of them and letting him take this on by himself wasn’t cool.
@Case….EXACTLY THIS! And I will ALWAYS feel some kind of way about them due to their actions…or LACK of actions when Ray came out about his HORRIFIC treatment 😡
Yes, Affleck should be leading this charge.
Even though Ben “hated him” I doubt he got bullied like Ray or Gal. His silence says a lot about his character.
That’s my problem with this. For months after Ray said something nobody supported him. Producers and the studio basically called him a liar. After the investigation some of the cast did make supportive quotes but it’s sad they weren’t more helpful earlier or more publicly.
Exactly. Ray went out on a limb and knew he was torpedo-ing his career in DC, but did it anyway. For the greater good. I’m not sure how much respect I’ll give any of them after they didn’t support him publicly, even if they supported him privately. We have people from Buffy who are far from powerful coming to his defense and confirming the abuse of Whedon. It says a lot about the fear that these directors and producers can put into the actors and supporting staff, but also that Hollywood is still a “save yourself” world.
The thing is with Ben is that there are rumors about set treatment and how he was pressured to take painkillers after an injury to not delay production, which is dangerous for an addict. I can’t remember if that was for BvsS or JL though but if it was for JL I can see why Ben isn’t speaking up because it involves his addiction issues.
Jesus. That’s on WB, and they are a bigger problem than Whedon. Notice, Whedon has been dealt with. WB? Nope.
Darla, it is absolutely on WB and goes way beyond Whedon. Basically as I remember it, he injured his back and the rumor was he was forced to be ready for filming anyway possible i.e painkillers, which then triggered a relapse for him. And if that rumor is true then I can see why he doesn’t feel like he can speak up and talk about the treatment on set without opening a bigger can of worms about his addiction.
Imagine thinking you could push around a woman who served two years in the Israeli defense forces. I bet Joss Whedon would cry if he had to handle a weapon.
This is what I came here to say! Big mistake. HUGE.
Dealing with that kind of workplace harassment from a director is very different than fighting on the battlefield or training for a battlefield. She couldn’t take out a gun and shoot or threaten him.
Women AND MEN suffer rape and harassment all the time inside the military itself. There’s been reports specifically on the high percentage of male-on-male rape in the US military. The military teaches obedience to authority and conformity. It doesn’t tend to instill independent thinking for the average soldier.
And let’s not even get into the Israeli/Palestinian issue! It does not impress ME that she was an Israeli fighter because I am aware of how the state abuses the Palestinians.
Just because you’re a strong person doesn’t mean you’re invulnerable in every possible situation. And being subjected to harassment DOES NOT mean the victim is weak or did anything wrong. Often there is no good way to handle it — by design, to protect the institution. Ray Fisher had a more difficult time dealing with Whedon because he had less institutional power and clout than Gal Gadot and because apparently none of his cast mates stood up for him, maybe Momoa did. Hard to tell. This does not mean Ray Fisher was weak or incapable. It means the institution and director were in the wrong.
Considering she’s an ethnic Jewish woman in the industry, it may be that she doesn’t feel as empowered to speak up for herself (she had to go OVER his head to get help, after all), much less for her coworker. She wasn’t really a name until Wonder Woman came out. In general, I’d suspect retaliation is an issue regardless in that industry simply because of the power dynamics.
Really, it’s guys like Affleck I side eye more. He’s in a bigger position of power as a white man with a lot of established clout. Mamoa might have had some leverage from GoT, too, but he’s also non-white and has more limited opportunities as well.
Yeah, I don’t blame Gal for not speaking up. She’s an Israeli woman and I’m sure deals with her own incidents of discrimination and bullying for that. Same with Mamoa being non-white. But Ben Affleck? WTF is his excuse? He should’ve been leading the charge and empowering his coworkers to talk about their experiences with his support.
Yeah, I know people blame her for not supporting Ray, but I think the blame needs to be placed on Whedon for his behavior and WB for not firing him. Women get blamed enough for men’s behavior. We don’t know what the situation was or what she knew.
Jason Momoa publicly supported Ray Fischer on a Instagram post with #IStandWithRayFischer Media outlets picked up too and reported it. I can understand why you side eye Ben Affleck. But Jason has publicly defended Fisher and confirmed his account of what happened on set.
Beyond his standard issues I’m sure Wonder Woman’s success from the first movie and Jenkins were a real insecurity for Whedon that he felt compelled to lash out at and try and control. Because of Buffy he had long seen himself as the person that should be the creative behind bringing Wonder Woman to the screen and it never happened and when it happened with someone else it was a success.
Yeah, given his real attitude towards women, it must have burned him good a lowly female director did what he could not—and made a hit.
I am so glad she had Patty Jenkins in her corner to help back her up. Because until Wonder Woman came out, most of us didn’t know who she was unless maybe you were a fan of the Fast and Furious franchise (I’m not). Ray Fisher unfortunately had nobody. It sounds like Gal and Ray are cool and that he [Ray] doesn’t bear any ill will towards Gal. And it is possible she was afraid to speak up in Ray’s case because she feared reprisals from Warner Brothers or senior management there. She is still in contract I believe for one more movie? I wish she had been more vocal in Ray’s case but as she said in that interview Joss Whedon threatened her career and to destroy her. I would be afraid to speak up too in her shoes.
It’s kind of startling how Whedon went from ‘Nerd Jesus’ to to pariah in most nerdy environments I’m in, much like Harry Potter’s Author being a TERF so quickly. I know there’s still a lot of self proclaimed nerds that put him on a pedestal but I’m not one of them, especially knowing how terrible he treaded other people and myself being a black woman in an already white male dominated space.
Its weird because his work means a lot to so many people, especially women who were teens when Buffy was on the air. How do we separate Joss Whedon from this show that made women feel empowered to be themselves, to be strong, to be open and out, that we have power united, and anyone can be a hero? It’s just so mentally rattling that this message came from someone who didn’t live up to those ideals at all behind the scenes. “Where do we go from here?” indeed.
I never watched Buffy (though I know a lot of teen girls that are now adults and talk about Buffy as their “kick ass awakening”) but for me it was Firefly/Serenity that had a large impact on me. I had (and still have) my own “Wash” and was dealing with everything that came with being an interracial relationship as a teen. To be in my favorite genre (scifi) and have that was game changing for me even if I didn’t realize it until later. And I’ve been a comic book nerd my entire life so seeing the Avengers assemble in theaters to cheers still makes me tear up sometimes.
But I just think much like Michael Jackson or even Michael Jordan, we gotta separate the talent from the person. It sucks and makes you feel all gross inside anytime someone mentions it but I know I won’t be purchasing/streaming any of his stuff anymore of my own volition.
Separating art from the artist is truly tricky. I think there is an immediate distance that occurs, and in some ways it’s easy, and it some not so straightforward. I have seen Louis CK’s stand-up live, and enjoyed his TV show. Because his entertainment was basically almost completely focused on him, it was so easy to just say to myself, “Well, not watching his stuff again.” When it’s something like a TV show like “Buffy,” which included the work of so many people, where the offender was not onscreen and not an integral part of the viewer enjoying the product – I think there’s so much more leeway for the viewer. I watched some episodes of that show but it wasn’t really a part of my growing up, so it’s not personal to me, but I can definitely see how it’s personal to others. He’s a bad guy who wrote words that positively affected you, and I’m guessing probably at a time in your life when you were quite young and it meant all the more. Your experience of his words wasn’t about *him*, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that, just as you acknowledge that he is not a good guy. A long time ago, I watched an old Bill Cosby comedy special with my parents one night after my younger sister went to bed. I think I was like 7 or 8, and I felt SO COOL that my parents let me stay up and watch it with them. We laughed so hard, like huge belly laughs. I can’t properly put into words how magical that night was – all the more since my Dad has passed away. Later on we bought a video tape of that special and my younger sister (and the sister that came after her) watched it and we enjoyed it together as a family. And now Bill Cosby is a convicted rapist, a serial abuser, and well known as a horrible, horrible person. I haven’t re-watched that comedy special, but the time spent with my family, the laughs, those will always be precious. It’s tricky but that’s how I work it out in my head.
In retrospect a lot of the “Buffy” stuff does not hold up very well. Xander and his jealous, toxic “nice guy” persona, Spike trying to rape Buffy, Willow, Robot Buffy….. I could go on and on….
I lost a lot of respect for him after seeing “Dollhouse”. And even so I mostly liked Firefly I felt very uncomfortable with the whole space escort storyline and how she was treated from the “Mal” character.
So many issues!
@Sandii
SPike’s attempted rape of Buffy was Whedon’s way of getting back at James Marsters
Robot Buffy was Whedon taking out his anger at SMG
Xander was, basically, a proxy for how Whedon
Separating the art from the artist is a tricky and a very personal thing. Personally, I can’t watch Johnny Depp movies anymore. I used to love him and loved so many of his films, but I can’t stand to look at him anymore knowing what an awful person he is. But that’s personal to me — it hurts me to think about how much I used to admire him and how much he disgusts me now.
Most times, I’m able to separate it, though — there are films I love like The Shining and The Birds where the directors treated their actors horribly and I hate that, but I feel like if I stopped watching movies based on everyone’s behavior, there’d barely be any movies left for me to watch.
Buffy was the defining show of my teenage years. It was my introduction to fandom and it meant so much to teenage me, it is still precious to adult me and it is hard to reconcile the show I loved and thst taught me so much with the awful man who created it. I can think Joss Whedon is loathsome and still appreciate all Buffy gave me.
Sandii—when I first saw a few Dollhouse eps., I kept checking the credits to see if Whedon had farmed the writing out to someone else or something. It was even more sexist than Charlie’s Angels, and that was saying something. 🤮 Even his most rabid fans couldn’t pretend that crap was a “satire on post-feminism,” or a sympathetic look at how women are brainwashed by society, or whatever excuse they came up with.
It sounds awful. I don’t think it’s fair to place responsibility on Ben Affleck, though.. Remember these directors / writers / producers are the ones with the clout. They make or break you, no matter who you are. And I’m sure Ben has some favours he has had to call in to anyone and everyone above him, what with his issues with substance abuse, etc. He doesn’t have as much power as we may think.
And for all we know, he did stand up for them. Also, when this was filmed, it was before everyone started feeling empowered to talk about their treatment. A lot of this stayed behind closed doors.
(With that said, yes Ben is problematic and selfish, etc. Just saying this is a Joss Whedon is an a$$ issue, Ben has his own LOL)
I expect Affleck was going through a bad relapse at the time, and I get that. But now? Why don’t they all talk about Fisher now? Say he should be hired. Say what is happening to his career is unacceptable?
This is what I think re: Affleck. That there were relapse issues happening and to speak up would expose some of that.
My question is; what happens to Fischer now? Why isn’t anyone advocating for him to get film roles? The one thing the Snyder cut DID accomplish is showing us that Fisher is a talented actor. She should have called for him to get jobs. Affleck could. Honestly all the excuses get old. They left him in the wind. Maybe they thought his “tone” was too strident, eh?
A few commenters are saying that Jason Momoa didn’t publicly Ray Fisher. He 💯% did on his Instagram. Jason confirmed Ray Fischer’s account of the set environment and called for an investigation.
Anyhow I wish that more producers were expected to publicly support actors this situations like their co-stars are. I realise that super successful actors have influence and are the public face of a film. But producers choose the screenwriter etc… and have more power to change the environment on set.