The controversy surrounding the release of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood’s latest film has gained momentum as actress Olivia Wilde, who stars as former Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs, aligned herself with some of the project’s loudest critics.
What “Richard Jewell” critics object to about the film is the onscreen depiction of Scruggs (who died in 2001), allegedly portrayed as having traded sex for tips regarding the FBI’s investigation into the Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
Although the man himself was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, Richard Jewell’s nightmarish portrayal in the media as a suspect in the case was largely fueled by Scruggs’ reporting for the AJC.
In light of this portrayal, the ACJ has hired high-profile Hollywood attorney Martin D. Singer in an attempt to force the filmmakers to acknowledge their portrayal of Scruggs as an example of “artistic license,” as reported in The Wrap.
Some, including Slate journalist Mark Joseph Stern, have called for “Richard Jewell” to be boycotted over its controversial depiction of Scruggs:
Please do not pay to see movies that feature fictional female journalists who sleep with with sources for a story. It's an egregiously sexist, demeaning, insulting trope and at this stage I don't see an appropriate response other than a flat-out boycott. https://t.co/UvxsYXd6MK
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) December 9, 2019
As detailed by the Daily Mail, Clint Eastwood has since stood firmly by his cinematic effort, saying in part: ““… We’re telling our story. And I think I think we did a really good job.”
However, Wilde had a much different perpsective than the film’s director, taking to Twitter to explain her position:
Contrary to a swath of recent headlines, I do not believe that Kathy “traded sex for tips”. Nothing in my research suggested she did so, and it was never my intention to suggest she had. That would be an appalling and misogynistic dismissal of the difficult work she did.
— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) December 12, 2019
The perspective of the fictional dramatization of the story, as I understood it, was that Kathy, and the FBI agent who leaked false information to her, were in a pre-existing romantic relationship, not a transactional exchange of sex for information.
— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) December 12, 2019
I cannot speak for the creative decisions made by the filmmakers, as I did not have a say in how the film was ultimately crafted, but it’s important to me that I share my personal take on the matter.
— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) December 12, 2019
Despite her own “research,” the Scruggs family claims Wilde never reached out to them in preparation for the role, according to the Daily Mail.
As “Richard Jewell” opens nationwide, we shall soon discover whether or not the controversy will serve to hinder or encourage its box office success.
Sources: The Daily Mail, The Wrap
Written by Red Blue Divide editorial staff