Tag: Brett Ratner

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Brett Ratner on using the f-word – “It was indefensible”

In a new profile piece for The Hollywood Reporter, Brett Ratner admits to his most famous (or infamous) comment that injured his career in a big way:

His dumbest remark, he admits, was his comment about “fags,” which cost him the Oscar gig. (He since has given $1 million to the Academy museum.) “It’s indefensible,” he says now. “I immediately apologized. I couldn’t say to everybody, ‘Wait a second, I’m not who you say I am. I’m the guy who did all the PSAs before I was even asked.’ It was just a stupid thing.”

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Eddie Murphy steps out of hosting Oscars gig following Brett Ratner’s resignation

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak announced that Eddie Murphy has withdrawn as host of the 84th Academy Awards. “I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well,” said Sherak.

Commented Murphy, “First and foremost I want to say that I completely understand and support each party’s decision with regard to a change of producers for this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I’m sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job.”

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Brett Ratner drops “f*gs” bomb at movie screening

According to a report on New York Magazine’s Vulture site, several Twitter users and reports from GLAAD’s constituents, Tower Heist director and 2012 Academy Awards producer Brett Ratner made a remark that “Rehearsing is for f*gs” during a Q&A following a screening of his film.

According to The Wrap, the audience was left visibly stunned, and this prompted at least one person to get up and leave immediately. This language is completely unacceptable, and for a well-known director like Ratner to use it so cavalierly a manner in a public setting sends a dangerous message that slurs like this are okay to use.

GLAAD expressed outrage to Ratner through his representative at CAA this morning, and Ratner released a statement soon afterwards:

“I apologize for any offense my remarks caused. It was a dumb way of expressing myself. Everyone who knows me knows that I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body. But as a storyteller I should have been much more thoughtful about the power of language and my choice of words.”