Co-writer of the upcoming sequel to the 2001 comedy smash ‘Zoolander’, Justin Theroux, has spoken on criticisms of depictions of trans and non-binary people in ‘Zoolander 2’.
The outcry came after the release of the film’s first trailer in which Benedict Cumberbatch’s androgynous model character All is briefly introduced. Hansel, played by Owen Wilson, asks whether All has “a hot dog or a bun?”
Since the release of the film’s first trailer, a petition calling for a boycott of the film has garnered 21,000 signatures. Writer Justin Theroux has spoken up against the criticism, calling it a matter of context.
“I don’t even know what to make of it,” Theroux said, “I take great care in the jokes I write, and the umbrage being taken is out of the context of the scene.”
“I wish people would see the movie first.”
The petition calls Cumberbatch’s character “an over-the-top, cartoonish mockert of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals,” accusing the films creators of enforcing harmful perceptions, likening the character to the use of blackface.
Watch the trailer below and tell us what you think. ‘Zoolander 2’ is due to be released February 2016.
