At the “Avengers: Age of Ultron” premiere, Joss Whedon responded to the attention he got from a tweet on Friday that called a recent “Jurassic World” clip “70’s era sexist.”
“I shouldn’t have tweeted it,” he told Variety. “I don’t ever say things about other people’s work that are negative. That’s bad form. It’s not what a gentleman would do.”
The “Avengers” director was referring to a tweet from entertainment geek culture site the Mary Sue that said, “We’re too busy fanning ourselves to talk more about Chris Pratt in this #JurassicWorld clip.” Whedon commented tersely “…and I’m too busy wishing this clip wasn’t 70’s era sexist. She’s a stiff, he’s a life-force – really? Still?”
Whedon’s tweet was in response to an interaction in the footage between Pratt’s character and Bryce Dallas Howard’s in which he teases her over their bad first date, for which she printed out an itinerary. She then retorts that he shouldn’t have worn board shorts. Whedon’s projects have been recognized for featuring powerful female leads and feminist themes, such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Dollhouse.”
Although he regrets sending the tweet, Whedon hasn’t deleted it and stands by his judgement. “I forgot that I don’t do that because I was frustrated. I felt like I was seeing something that was problematic. What I said is pretty clear, but I think it was the wrong venue for me to be saying that. That’s dinner party conversation.”
Watch the “Jurassic World” clip below:
