Matilda star takes aim at Roland Emmerich: ‘Stonewall wasn’t all ‘fit, white, gay men’
The star of the film ‘Matilda’ has weighed into the debate surrounding criticism of the upcoming Stonewall film, taking aim at director Roland Emmerich.
Some activists have announced plans to boycott the film due to its inaccurate representation of the riots – though it is yet to be released, and the judgements are based solely on one trailer.
Both Jeremy Irvine, who plays the lead “Danny” in the film, and director Roland Emmerich have released statements on social media defending the film.
Mara Wilson, who played the title role in the film ‘Matilda’, took to Twitter to lay into Emmerich.
In a series of tweets, she wrote: “Has anyone told Roland Emmerich that Stonewall wasn’t one of the parties at his house exclusively for young, fit, white, gay men.
“Go ahead and have your parties, but don’t try to alter history.
“It’s just sad… Emmerich has said it was the studios that made him change it, buuuuut somehow I’m not buying it.”
‘Stonewall’, the upcoming film based on the Stonewall riots, has come under fire amid claims of whitewashing and trans-erasure following the release of the first trailer for the film.
Thousands have signed a petition against the film, claiming based on just the first trailer that veterans of the riots like Marsha P Johnson and Sylvia Rivera have been ‘airbrushed’ out of the centre of the story in favour of a fictional gay man.
However, amid impassioned defences of the film from Emmerich and star Jeremy Irvine, Larry Kramer has spoken out to savage the petition – started by a teenager – and lamenting how few genuine activists from the riots are still around.
The activist wrote to Emmerich: “Don’t listen to the crazies. For some reason there is a group of ‘activists’ that insists on maintaining their prime importance and participation during this riot. Unfortunately there seems no one left alive to say ‘it wasn’t that way at all’, or ‘who are or where the f**k were you?’.
Aas with so much history there is no way to ‘prove’ a lot of stuff, which allows artists such as yourself (and me I might add) to take essences and attempt to find and convey meaning and truth.
“I sincerely hope this boycott your film shit peters out. We are not dealing with another ‘Cruising’ here. Keeping your film from being seen is only hurting ourselves. Good luck and thank you for your passion.”
