Joss Whedon admitted to affairs (saying he “had” to have them) and circumstances he “could have handled better” in his personal life when given the opportunity to respond to allegations of grave misbehavior on his sets, but rejected claims from the likes of actors Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, and others. Fisher’s concerns were disregarded by him as those of a “poor actress.” He said that Gadot misinterpreted him because “English is not her native language” in her situation.
Whedon gave his first detailed public responses to the negative reports, which began surfacing in the summer of 2020 and have included not only the disastrous “Justice League” film but also “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” the television show that made him famous, in an extensive New York magazine profile by Lila Shapiro.
Ray Fisher, whose role as the superhero Cyborg in “Justice League” was severely curtailed after director Zack Snyder handed over the reins to Whedon, has made repeated public remarks accusing the writer-director of “abusive, unprofessional” behavior on set. “On-set behavior of the cast and crew of Justice League was disgusting, abusive, unprofessional, and utterly wrong,” he wrote in one tweet.
Fisher claimed in an October 2020 interview with Forbes that “the deletion of persons of color from the 2017 theatrical version of ‘Justice League’ was neither an accident nor a coincidence.” When comparing Whedon’s version of “Justice League” to the “Snyder Cut,” several actors of color (including Harry Lennix, Joe Morton, Karen Bryson, Zheng Kai, and Kiersey Clemons) had their roles reduced or eliminated entirely, though it’s unclear how much of those parts would have survived in a theatrical cut of standard length (the “Snyder Cut” is more than four hours long).
Fisher also told Forbes, “Race was just one of the issues with the reshoot process. There were massive blowups, threats, coercion, taunting, unsafe work conditions, belittling, and gaslighting like you wouldn’t believe.”
Whedon’s answer to the claim is quoted in the New York profile as follows: “‘I don’t threaten people.’ ‘Who is it that does it?’ He came to the conclusion that she had misinterpreted him. ‘I tend to be unnecessarily flowery in my speech because English isn’t her first language.’ He remembered battling with her about a sequence she wanted to remove. He joked that she’d have to tie him to a railroad track and do it over his dead body if she wanted to get rid of it. ‘Then I was informed I mentioned something about tying her to the train track and burying her,’ he added. (Gadot wasn’t convinced by Whedon’s account of events.) ‘I completely understood,’ she wrote to New York in an email.) ”
Following these allegations, “Buffy” co-stars openly chastised their former boss. Michelle Trachtenberg, who joined the cast at the age of 16, said he couldn’t be alone with her because of a “rule.” “I am bold enough now as a 35-year-old lady,” Trachtenberg posted on Instagram early last year. Because. This has to be done. As a teenager, make a name for yourself. Very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very Not. At. All. Appropriate. So, here we are. People are aware. What’s up, Joss. That’s the last thing I’ll say about it. Was. There was a rule in place. Saying. He’ll never be permitted to be alone with Michelle again.”