- Title: USA: Tropic Thunder premieres amid protests
- Date: 14th August 2008
- Summary: WESTWOOD, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 11, 2008) (REUTERS) "TROPIC THUNDER" POSTERS ON RED CARPET WIDE SHOT OF RED CARPET AT "TROPIC THUNDER" PREMIERE CAST PLUS CAMEOS OF TROPIC THUNDER: BEN STILLER, ROBERT DOWNEY JR, JACK BLACK, MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, TOM CRUISE, BRANDON JACKSON, NICK NOLTE (SOUNDBITE) (English) BEN STILLER, WRITER, ACTOR, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER OF "TROPIC THUNDER", SAYING: "It was funny. And when I thought about the movie and worked on the script it was a movie I wanted to see. You know when you work on something for that long and keep coming back to it, it's a sign that it's something you really want to do, because you keep coming back to it. So it was great to actually do." TOM CRUISE AND KATIE HOLMES ON RED CARPET MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY AND BEN STILLER TALKING JACK BLACK ON RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) JACK BLACK, ACTOR IN "TROPIC THUNDER", SAYING: "Oh sure, I recognized a lot of the jokes and a lot of the behaviour in the movie is stuff that I've seen and experienced and maybe even have been guilty of from time to time." (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRANDON JACKSON, ACTOR IN "TROPIC THUNDER", SAYING: "Black people - we're not protesting. We could be, but I think it's comedy. We're trying to do comedy, it's not made to offend people. It's a comedy guys, come on!" BEN STILLER AND CHRISTINE TAYLOR TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) BEN STILLER, WRITER, ACTOR, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER OF "TROPIC THUNDER", SAYING: "I totally respect their point of view. All I can says is making the movie and the multiple screenings, the hundreds of screenings, we were really aware of the feedback coming to us from audiences. I'm sorry that they have this opinion. I know that the people organizing this had not seen the film. I think that in the context of the movie it's really clear where we were coming from. It was not meant to offend anybody. When you're making an R- rated comedy sometimes that happens. But it was really clear, in our point of view, where our humour was coming from, and it was at the expense of the actors." JODIE FOSTER TALKING TO MEDIA JUSTIN THEROUX TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUSTIN THEROUX, CO-WRITER, PRODUCER OF "TROPIC THUNDER", SAYING: "I'm sympathetic but I wouldn't change a frame of our film. I don't think we make the joke they're accusing us of making. What we think is funny is Hollywood. In every respect we keep the joke on Hollywood and we don't cross that line. I'm not a fan of cruel humour, I'm not a fan of mean jokes. I think we did our due diligence in the writing and creation of this film and I hope their minds are changed when they see the film themselves." TOM CRUISE AND BEN STILLER TOM CRUISE AND KATIE HOLMES WALKING BY PHOTOGRAPHERS PROTESTERS AT TROPIC THUNDER PREMIERE (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOM SHRIVER, CHAIRMAN OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS, SAYING: "This film makes them the brunt of every joke, humiliates them, stereotypes them. It makes it look as though people with intellectual disabilities are retards. We think it goes way too far, over the edge. So we're asking people not to go." PEOPLE PICKETING, CHANTING AND PROTESTING PREMIERE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DUSTIN PLUCKETT, ATHLETE AND LIAISON FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS, SAYING: "Today's protest, it's a special nix R-Word campaign. We're trying to remove the word 'Retard' from everyone's vocabulary around the world. Because 3 percent of the American population has disabilities and we're trying to ban the word from everyone's vocabulary." PEOPLE MARCHING AND CHANTING
- Embargoed: 29th August 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAB13SJEVJ2QHB20W3KCJ55JCFE
- Story Text: Hollywood's comedy A-list took to the red carpet in Los Angeles for the premiere of "Tropic Thunder" on Monday (August 11). The film, directed, co-written, and produced by Ben Stiller features a high powered cast including Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Nick Nolte. The movie is a film within a film that takes aim at the inflated egos of Hollywood.
The film is far from controversy free. Robert Downey Jr. plays a white actor playing a black man with dark make-up, venturing into the racially charged territory of blackface.
Another sticking point brought dozens of protesters outside the premiere. Advocacy groups for the disabled have called for a national boycott of the film, citing a negative portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities.The groups take offence at the repeated use of "retard" to refer to a character, Simple Jack - a role played by Stiller's "Thunder" character in a film within the film.
When asked about the controversy, Ben Stiller says it was never his intention.
"I totally respect their point of view," Stiller said.
"All I can says is making the movie and the multiple screenings, the hundreds of screenings, we were really aware of the feedback coming to us from audiences. I'm sorry that they have this opinion. I know that the people organizing this had not seen the film. I think that in the context of the movie it's really clear where we were coming from. It was not meant to offend anybody. When you're making an R- rated comedy sometimes that happens. But it was really clear, in our point of view, where our humour was coming from, and it was at the expense of the actors."
Among those in attendance at the premiere was Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Cruise has a cameo in the film where he plays a fat, balding, dork film backer that dances. It's a role that many are talking about.
The film opens on Wednesday, August 13th. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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