Chris Pratt Responds With Bible Verse After Disney Fires 'Guardians of the Galaxy's' James Gunn
Actor Chris Pratt quoted scripture in defense of filmmaker James Gunn after Disney Studios fired the "Guardians of the Galaxy" director over offensive tweets.
Gunn was fired last week while making "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" after a viral campaign resurfaced some of Gunn's 2008-2012 tweets which were called "homophobic and misogynistic."
Many of the film's stars, including lead actor Pratt, took to Twitter after the firing to share their support for Gunn.
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"'Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.' JAMES 1:19," Pratt wrote with prayer hands, heart emojis and the name James all in caps, which led fans to believe that he was reacting to Disney's decision.
Pratt plays Peter Quill, also known as Star Lord, and also appeared in the recent "Avengers: Infinity War."
His co-star, Zoe Saldana, shared a bit more overtly on Twitter, writing, "It's been a challenging weekend I'm not gonna lie. I'm pausing myself to take everything in before I speak out of term [sic]. I just want everyone to know I love ALL members of my GOTG family. Always will."
Marvel selected Gunn to direct "Guardians of the Galaxy" from its inception and the film became a major hit. Both part one and its sequel, which he also wrote and directed, have grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide.
Despite its success and many online protests, including an online petition started by actress Selma Blair to urge Disney to "RE-HIRE JAMES GUNN," the studio is sticking to their decision claiming his past Tweets are "indefensible."
"The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him," Alan Horn, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement shared with CNN.
Gunn reacted to Disney's statement on Thursday by acknowledging his past wrongs but admitting that he is no longer the same person.
"Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I've developed as a person, so has my work and my humor," he wrote, according to reports. "It's not to say I'm better, but I am very, very different than I was a few years ago; today I try to root my work in love and connection and less in anger. My days saying something just because it's shocking and trying to get a reaction are over."
In another statement made through a representative of Gunn, the filmmaker said, "I understand and accept the business decisions taken" by Disney.
"Even these many years later, I take full responsibility for the way I conducted myself then," he continued. "All I can do now, beyond offering my sincere and heartfelt regret, is to be the best human being I can be: accepting, understanding, committed to equality, and far more thoughtful about my public statements and my obligations to our public discourse."
