Jokeractor and comedianMarc Maronis speaking out after the movie’s director, Todd Phillips, blamed “woke culture” for ruining comedy.
“There’s plenty of people being funny right now,” Maron, 56, said. “Not only being funny but being really f—ing funny. There are still lines to be rode. If you like to ride a line, you can still ride a line. If you want to take chances, you can still take chances.”
“Really, the only thing that’s off the table, culturally, at this juncture — and not even entirely — is shamelessly punching down for the sheer joy of hurting people,” he continued. “For the sheer excitement and laughter that some people get from causing people pain, from making people uncomfortable, from making people feel excluded. Ya know, that excitement.”
Mireya Acierto/FilmMagic; Jim Spellman/FilmMagic
“If you’re too intimidated to try to do comedy that is deep or provocative, or even a little controversial, without hurting people, then you’re not good at what you do,” Maron added. “Or maybe you’re just insensitive.”
Joaquin Phoenix and Todd Philipps.Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty
In a recent interview withVanity Fair, Phillips — who directed comedy films includingThe HangoverandRoad Trip— spoke out against today’s “woke culture” and explained how leaving the comedy genre led him to direct the comic book filmJoker.
“Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture,” he told the magazine. “There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore — I’ll tell you why, because all the f—ing funny guys are like, ‘F— this s—, because I don’t want to offend you.’”
“It’s hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter,” Phillips, 48, continued. “You just can’t do it, right? So you just go, ‘I’m out.’ I’m out, and you know what? With all my comedies — I think that what comedies in general all have in common — is they’re irreverent. So I go, ‘How do I do something irreverent, but f— comedy? Oh I know, let’s take the comic book movie universe and turn it on its head with this.’ And so that’s really where that came from.”
In its opening weekend,Jokerearned $96 millionat the U.S. box office, according toBox Office Mojo, and Phoenix is already receiving Oscar buzz for his portrayal of the iconic villain. Phoenix and Phillips evensurprised moviegoers waitingto see the film last Thursday night in New York City.
Jokeris in theaters now.
source: people.com
