Anne Hathaway apologises
Anne Hathaway has released a public apology.
It's after her movie The Witches faced backlash for portraying people with limb differences in a negative light.
The actress promises to, 'do better.'
Anne's evil character Grand High Witch has three-fingered hands.
They resemble the congenital disorder ectrodactyly.
Many took to social media to slam the movie for misrepresenting those with limb differences.
One Twitter user said, 'Children with limb differences rarely get to see themselves represented truthfully.'
'But instead get shown as scary monsters? Not what we need'
Another said, 'Think of the playground bullying that's going to come from this.'
It's hard to look different.
Made harder when a big budget @wbpictures changes Dahl's plot to give witches limb differences as a symbol of their scariness.
Think of the playground bullying that's going to come from this. #notawitch pic.twitter.com/s8j0jpBl70
— Sarah Drinkwater (@sarahdrinkwater) November 3, 2020
Another unnecessary depiction of limb differences to portray an “evil character”. Dahl’s The Witches doesn’t even mention missing fingers? I’m asking fellow film critics to call out this film for perpetuating stigma #NotAWitch
(image description in comments) https://t.co/Ob6NMYiva5
— Charlotte Little 🦯🦻 (@ALittleOutlook) November 3, 2020
Anne's apology
Following backlash, Anne took to social media to apologise for causing so much, 'pain.'
She wrote, 'Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for.'
'As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused.'
'I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened.'
Anne continued, 'I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better.'
'And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down.'
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#TheLastThingHeWanted–and this hat–is in Park City. Thank you, @sundanceorg!
The actress included a video from the Lucky Fin Project.
They're a non-profit organisation raising awareness of limb differences.
Anne is encouraging people to educate themselves on the issue by researching the organisation and the hashtag #NotAWitch.
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Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. have also released an apology.
As quoted by CNN, they said, 'We the filmmakers and Warner Bros. Pictures are deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in The Witches could upset people with disabilities, and regret any offense caused.'
'In adapting the original story, we worked with designers and artists to come up with a new interpretation of the cat-like claws that are described in the book.'
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'It was never the intention for viewers to feel that the fantastical, non-human creatures were meant to represent them.'
'This film is about the power of kindness and friendship.'
'It is our hope that families and children can enjoy the film and embrace this empowering, love-filled theme.'
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No further comment has been made.
