Filmmaker James Gunn has spoken out against overzealous “Star Wars” fans who have used “their hate as a reason to be cruel.”
The “Guardians of the Galaxy” director is defending himself on Twitter after speaking his mind earlier in the week about Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks in the “Star Wars” prequels and who recently shared that negative fan reaction made him suicidal.
The picture Gunn retweeted was of Best with his son at New York Harbor, where Best said he contemplated taking his own life.
“People need to chill out,” said Gunn as part of a series of tweets. “‘Star Wars’ (or any movie) may be important to you, but it doesn’t belong to you.”
Gunn later added:
“If your self-esteem depends on how good you think the current ‘Star Wars’ is, or your childhood is ruined because you don’t like something in the movie, GO TO THERAPY.”
Star Wars (or any movie) may be important to you, but it doesn’t belong to you. If your self-esteem depends on how good you think the current Star Wars is, or your childhood is ruined because you don’t like something in a movie, GO TO THERAPY.
– James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 4, 2018
On Thursday, Gunn clarified that his tweets were aimed not at the “Star Wars” fanbase as a whole, but specifically at “those who use their hate as a reason to be cruel, or whose self-worth relies on movies other people are making.”
Since the release of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” director Rian Johnson and several members of the cast of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” have faced regular harassment on Twitter, with stars Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran closing their Instagram accounts as a result.
Last week, Johnson’s friend and fellow filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie said in a tweet that the reaction from angry “Star Wars” fans changed his thoughts on wanting to one day join the franchise.
“My friend, After five minutes of this, I don’t know why you’re still on Twitter,” McQuarrie tweeted to Johnson. “I would have loved to make a Star Wars film someday. I’m cured.”