Sterling K. Brown opens up about the controversy surrounding The Predator casting a sex offender. The Shane Black-directed film boasts a star-studded cast including Brown, Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Keegan Michael Key, and Olivia Munn among others. But even before fans get to see the film itself and judge it for what it is, the Fox project was caught in a scandal with Black hiring his friend Steven Wilder, a registered sex offender who served six months in jail, for a small role.
Munn, who specifically shared the screen with Wilder in the movie, learned about his criminal record and had raised the matter to Fox. The studio swiftly decided to cut the said sequence from the film, but it remains to be the talk of the town. The news broke out just before Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) kicked off where The Predator debuted. Munn recently spoke about her experience following her move to tell on Wilder and how she hasn't talked to Black about the issue. Now, Brown is chiming in on the matter with a statement of his own.
Related: Predator: Jake Busey Agrees With Fox Decision To Cut Sex Offender's Scene
Taking it to his official Twitter account, the actor quoted Munn's initial interview and said how sorry he is for her feeling so alone amidst this whole controversy. He also referred to Black's apology regarding the issue. Read Brown's full statement below:
"@oliviamunn I’m sorry you’re feeling so isolated, my dear. And I’m sorry you’ve been the only one to speak up publicly. I was not at #TIFF so I didn’t have an opportunity to be there with you. There are two main issues as far as I see it. First, what is and is not forgivable? That’s gonna vary from individual to individual. You and @BonafideBlack may differ when it comes to that issue. I don’t have all the details regarding his friend’s crime, but I know it involves a minor, and he spent time in jail. With regards to forgiveness, I leave that to the individual. What I take issue with, (& I believe Shane addressed this in his apology), is that we all have the right to know who we’re working with! And when someone has been convicted of a crime of a sexual nature involving a child, we have the right to say that’s not okay! Our studio was not given that opportunity, and neither was our cast. Especially @oliviamunn who was the only member of the principal cast who had to work with him. I so appreciate that you “didn’t leave well enough alone,” & again, I’m sorry you feel isolated in taking action. Thank you to @20thcenturyfox for taking quick action in deleting the scene. @oliviamunn I hope you don’t feel quite so alone. You did the right thing."
While some are commending Brown for taking the time to address the situation and sending support to Munn, not everyone is impressed by his statement. For starters, there are those who would've wanted a stronger opinion from him in condemning Wilder's sneaky casting. Meanwhile, others feel conflicted about the fact that he implied that sexual predators targeting kids can be forgiven. Regardless of people's differing opinions about other specifics, they're all in unison that the whole The Predator cast should stand up for Munn.
At the end of the day, Munn should never feel the way she does for reporting Wilder, especially since she's the only one who had to personally work with a sex offender, not knowing about his criminal record. It's unclear how Fox will handle the developing controversy moving forward as the release date for The Predator inches closer. But at this point, it's safe to say that this issue will more likely affect people's interest (regardless of how) in seeing the movie.
More: The Predator Early Reviews: A Flawed, Yet Fun Shane Black Ride
Source: Sterling K. Brown/Twitter
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