'Zoolander No. 2' Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch’s Character Bashed; Justin Theroux Responds!
"Zoolander No. 2" cast member Benedict Cumberbatch's character in the movie received a negative response, according to sources. On the the other hand, Justin Theroux also gave his two cents on the issue.
Fans of the Ben Stiller-directed comedy movie were enamored to preview Derek and Hansel gracing the big screen again as the world's top male models, according to IB Times.
One of the many things that garnered the first movie co-written by Justin Theroux was the A-list celebrities that made several cameos in the movie, as stated by the source.
However, recent news have revealed that "Zoolander No. 2" cast Benedict Cumberbatch's character gets backlash as he portrays an androgynous, transgender, and non-binary individual, according to Latinos Post.
"Cumberbatch's character is clearly portrayed as an over-the-top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals," said LGBTQ activist Sarah Rose, as noted by EW. "This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority."
An LGTQ activist has since posted an online petition that has received over 20,000 signatures from late November, which calls for a boycott of the film "Zoolander no. 2" and studio Paramount with the backlash it has received, as reported by The Wrap.
"Zoolander No. 2" cast member Justin Theroux, who co-wrote the film, has expressed his feelings about the backlash and controversy regarding his latest film with Ben Stiller. He claimed that the anger against Cumberbatch's character is being misdirected, as stated by The Guardian.
"I don't even know what to make of it, because it hurts my feelings in a way," Justin Theroux expressed to The Wrap. "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."
"Satire is a thing that points out the idiots, and we went through it on Tropic Thunder with the 'R' word," said the screenwriter.
"The goal was not to mock or be cruel to the mentally challenged, but exalt in the stupidity of people who use that word," the 44-year old actor said, as noted by Theguardian.
"I'm all for letting words be ugly when the target is correct," he added. "With social media and all the rest of it, people's issues need to be heard... at the end of the day, people are looking for bandwith."
"People are looking for places to inject their voice," Theroux said. "But our target is not, and never was, to disenfranchise anyone."
