Ray Fisher Speaks Up about Whedon’s Abuse of Power and Racism from Geoff Johns.
Cyborg, Justice League, actor Ray Fisher is speaking up. What’s on his mind: Joss Whedon’s abuse of power during the reshoots, filming of Justice League. Ray Fisher started speaking publicly about the mistreatment, at first through his twitter account. Firstly, Joss Whedon’s behavior towards the cast and crew of Justice League during filming was inappropriate, unprofessional, and utterly unacceptable. Geoff Johns and Jon Berg, to some extent, allowed and supported his actions.
Ray Fisher Breaks Silence Over Whedon’s Abuse of Power
Ray Fisher has spoken up after a period of silence, expressing that if he cannot achieve accountability, he aims to raise awareness about the individuals involved and their behavior. As he went through the hierarchy of people in charge of addressing the Joss Whedon’s abuse of power and mistreatment, Fisher found that he wasn’t being taken seriously. Any investigation was actually just an attempt to sweep everything under the rug.
Ray Fisher, “I don’t believe..these people are fit for positions of Leadership.”
Fisher expressed his doubts about the suitability of certain individuals for leadership roles. While he does not advocate for their complete removal from Hollywood, he believes they should not have the authority to hire and fire others. This comes at a time when there have been multiple actors exposing the vile treatment they had to deal with from Whedon and Johns. Bridgerton actor Regé-Jean Page was denied an audition (playing Superman’s grandfather on Krypton) because he was black. Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress, Charisma Carpenter spoke to the many abuses that she encountered from Wedon while pregnant including being taunted daily. Joss Whedon’s abuse of power has caused many issues for the actress to this day.
Fishers comments sparked a lot of interest from fans at what transpired on the set under Joss Whedon and Geoff Johns. Even more so, when his co-stars Jason Mamoa and Gal Gadot supported his claims of mistreatment and Joss Whedon’s abuse of power.
Snyder’s Departure; Whedon’s Abuse of Power
Snyder officially stepped away, after his daughter’s death and unable to complete the film, that’s when Whedon was brought in. Whedon’s primary objective was to produce a commercial friendly hit comparable to Avengers. But when he was brought in, the atmosphere changed on set. He began playing fast and loose with the source material and making threats. Joss Whedon’s abuse of power was agregious. Joss Maintained he was in control and everyone needed to fall in line.
Cyborg’s Story Was Reduced from Final Cut
The biggest change was Cyborg’s story. According to Fisher and Snyder, they both agreed that Cyborg’s story arc was the crux of the film. Cyborg’s character is most changed from beginning to end. Victor Stone comes from a place of deep despair and ends in a place of full acceptance and loved. But, we don’t see that arc in the Whedon release.
Also gone was the allowed input from Ray Fischer regarding his character. His imput was needed do justice to a black family story. A story that isn’t portrayed very often. A story of two very capable and genius parents and the dynamics with their son, also gifted athletically and intellectually. When Fischer approached Whedon for input, Whedon responded, “I feel like I’m receiving feedback at the moment, and I don’t enjoy receiving feedback from anyone, including Robert Downing Jr.” It was clear Whedon was not open to any criticism.Whedon’s abuse of power and any means to assert his control was his main focus.
Ray FIsher’s Claims Were Silenced Regarding Whedon’s Abuse of Power.
Fischer felt he was being ignored and treated unfairly. Ray Fisher went to Johns and Emmerich. Johns responded with “I consider us to be friends and I Just don’t want you to make a bad name for yourself in the business.” Fisher felt even more threatened. Johns’ representative responded, stating, “Johns didn’t make any threats, but he did mention to Fisher that creative disagreements are typically resolved between the actor’s agent and the film studio, not escalated to the head of the studio.”
His co-stars also dealt with Whedon’s abuse of power. Gadot also struggled with her concerns with the revised version of the film. At one point, Whedon wanted her character to plant on her b**bs, which she took issue with. Whedon pressured Gadot to say lines she didn’t want to and threatened her career. A production staff member who witnessed the incident later spoke to investigators and stated, “Joss boasted about confronting Gal. He claimed his authority as the writer and insisted she comply and deliver the lines, even if it made her appear foolish in the film.”
A few weeks later, Momoa expressed his thoughts in an Instagram post. “I find it unfair that a false Frosty announcement was made without my consent to divert attention from Ray Fisher’s revelation about the terrible treatment we experienced during the Justice League reshoots,” With multiple actors supporting his statement, it became evident that Joss Whedon misused his authority.
Closing his statement on Twitter, rising actor Ray Fisher expressed, “I don’t just commend Chris Terrio and Zack Snyder for casting me in Justice League. I commend them for giving me power (as a black man with no prior film experience) by including me in creative discussions and involving me in the early stages of the project, even before a script was written!”
