Following years of allegations about his on-set cruelty and incidents of misconduct involving stars such as Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot, Joss Whedon is finally speaking up. In a freewheeling interview with New York magazine's Vulture published on Monday, the Avengers director and creator of the cult show Buffy the Vampire Slayer defended his past actions and said he was made to "seem like I was an abusive monster".
“I think I’m one of the nicer showrunners that’s ever been," he told the magazine.
Whedon, who wrote and directed 2012's The Avengers, one of the highest-grossing films of all time, was first accused of being a "hypocrite preaching feminist ideals" by his ex-wife Kai Cole in an open letter published in 2017. Writing in The Wrap, Cole accused Whedon of cheating on her throughout their marriage, including with cast members of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Whedon acknowledges the affairs in the Vulture interview, saying "I feel terrible about them". He said that he felt "powerless" to resist the women because they were the sort who had ignored him when he was younger and that he would "always regret it" if he didn't give in while he was successful.
One of the biggest allegations against Whedon came early in 2020 when Justice League actor Ray Fisher called him "gross, abusive, unprofessional and completely unacceptable" in a series of tweets. Fisher, who played Cyborg in the film and who is black, also said Whedon digitally lightened his skin colour and cut his scenes.
Whedon, who was drafted in to complete the 2017 DC superhero film after director Zack Snyder left the project following the death of his daughter, told Vulture he lightened the entire film, not just Fisher's character, and that he cut down Cyborg's role because his storyline "logically made no sense" and that he was unhappy with Fisher's acting.
Fisher's accusations were widely reported, and led to Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and spin-off series Angel, posting a lengthy statement accusing Whedon of abusive behaviour on set.
"For nearly two decades, I have held my tongue and even made excuses for certain events that traumatise me to this day," the actress wrote. She accused Whedon of abusing "his power on numerous occasions" while she worked on both TV series, and also of "casually cruel" behaviour, which included threatening to fire her, calling her "fat" when she was four months pregnant, asking her if she was going to "keep" her baby, mocking her for her religious beliefs, and then "unceremoniously" firing her after she gave birth.
Whedon acknowledges he was not as "civilised" back then, but said he would never intentionally humiliate anyone. He said he had some regrets about how he spoke to Carpenter after learning she was pregnant, but was bewildered by her account of their relationship. "Most of my experiences with Charisma were delightful and charming. She struggled sometimes with her lines, but nobody could hit a punch line harder than her," he said. "I did not call her fat. Of course, I didn’t."
In May last year, Wonder Woman star Gadot told Israel's N12 News that Whedon threatened to have her fired after they had disagreements while filming Justice League.
“What I had with Joss basically is that he kind of threatened my career and said if I did something he would make my career miserable,” said Gadot, reiterating that she “handled it on the spot”.
Whedon denies this, saying "I don’t threaten people. Who does that? English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech."
Following Gadot's and Fisher's accusations, Warner Bros, which owns DC Films, launched an internal investigation into the Justice League set and announced “remedial action” had been taken. HBO also dropped Whedon as showrunner of The Nevers, a series he created about women with supernatural powers.
The Vulture interview, conducted over a number of months, also delves into Whedon's traumatic childhood, where he recalled being bullied by his older siblings. He also admits to seeking treatment for sex and love addiction.
“The beginning of the internet raised me up, and the modern internet pulled me down,” Whedon says in the interview. “The perfect symmetry is not lost on me.”
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
HWJN
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%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EGlobal%20Islamic%20economy%20to%20grow%203.1%25%20to%20touch%20%242.4%20trillion%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fuk-economy-plunges-into-worst-ever-recession-after-record-20-4-contraction-1.1062560%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EUK%20economy%20plunges%20into%20worst-ever%20recession%20after%20record%2020.4%25%20contraction%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenationalnews.com%2Fbusiness%2Feconomy%2Fislamic-economy-consumer-spending-to-increase-45-to-3-2tn-by-2024-1.936583%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3EIslamic%20economy%20consumer%20spending%20to%20increase%2045%25%20to%20%243.2tn%20by%202024%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
Scoreline
Bournemouth 2
Wilson 70', Ibe 74'
Arsenal 1
Bellerin 52'
Company%20Profile
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Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Kandahar%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20Kitchen
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Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
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more from Janine di Giovanni
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
