The response to the first trailer for Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters reboot was mixed, with many people heaping praise onto the new vision for the Ghostbusters and others sharing their derision. But one criticism that popped up was a bit of a surprise and it concerned Leslie Jones’ Patty. Many were unhappy that the one person of color on the team just happened to be a “street wise” normal person, with some reviews like one on Hitfix calling it dated.
Entertainment Weekly cites Ernie Hudson’s heartbreaking essay on Ghostbusters to highlight why this criticism seems to hit a little harder than the typical chatter surrounding the film:
“I look back on Ghostbusters in a very fun way, but it’s got so many mixed feelings and emotions attached to it,” Hudson wrote in a first-person piece about Ghostbusters for EW. “When I originally got the script, the character of Winston was amazing and I thought it would be career-changing. The character came in right at the very beginning of the movie and had an elaborate background: he was an Air Force major something, a demolitions guy. It was great.”
He added, “The night before filming begins, however, I get this new script and it was shocking. The character was gone. Instead of coming in at the very beginning of the movie, like page eight, the character came in on page 68 after the Ghostbusters were established. His elaborate background was all gone, replaced by me walking in and saying, ‘If there’s a steady paycheck in it, I’ll believe anything you say.’ So that was pretty devastating.”
Don’t expect Leslie Jones to write an essay discussing her disappointment with her Ghostbusters role. Jones took to Twitter to address the criticism and hit back pretty hard at people knocking Patty’s role in the film:
@IWriteILove if they made me a scientist you would be mad at what type of scientist. Seriously it's a fucking movie get over yourself
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 3, 2016
@IWriteILove who gives a fuck dude it's a movie shut up and go watch omg it's not science actually. You guys bitch about nothing.
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 3, 2016
Why can't a regular person be a ghostbuster. Im confused. And why can't i be the one who plays them i am a performer. Just go see the movie!
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
Regular People save the world everyday so if I'm the sterotype!! Then so be it!! We walk among Heroes and take them for granted.
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
ITS NOT A MAN, WOMAN, RACE, CLASS THANG!! ITS A GHOSTBUSTER THANG!! AND AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED WE ALL GHOSTBUSTERS!! STAND TALL!!
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
Retweeted Sara J (@sbj_design):@Lesdoggg They all know "ghostbusters" is a fake job, right? How can it matter who does it?!
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 5, 2016
One of the big points Jones uses to defend her character is a letter she received from an MTA worker about Ghostbusters:
I received this from a MTA worker:Hey Leslie, thanks for being you. A question was asked by a news writer about your role on your new movie
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
black actresses. This was my response:
I work for the MTA in that role as a Token Boof Clerk and I was happy to see my job, something whic
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
provides me with plenty of jokes, a great perspective on society, and a birds eye view of horrible shit that I witness everyday on screen.
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
. (I wished Leslie would have hooked me up…a joke) however, the fact that my position as a clerk is the most abused by society, I feel
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
this may give us a semblance of humanness. That's what I attempted in my one woman show "Swipe This! My Life in Transit" That glass in the
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
boof have folk thinking I'm invisible, that I'm not a college graduate, and a producer, comedian, writer, actor, etc. I'm a verb. I'm not a
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
college graduate, and a producer, comedian, writer, actor, etc. I'm a verb. I'm not a miserable, neck-rolling, stereotype in civil service
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
I love my job and I enjoy engaging people with information infused with humor. Leslie is a comedian. She's a larger than life personality
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
and it's the first thing we see no matter what role she gets. As she grows, she will be able to tap into all her greatness. I am supporting
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
supporting this movie because I see me.
I hope you receive all that's for you. You looked so cute in the uniform. Congrats Sis. I'm proud
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
I'm proud of you. Kick ass.
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
She also took a moment to address one person bringing up that she looked like a “sidekick” in the new trailer:
@ekjohnston the trailer did not show that at all the trailer three different type of women getting together how the fuck you see sick kick
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) March 4, 2016
I’m all for theorizing and reacting to a trailer, but I’m not about to criticize an entire film based on one image or one trailer. It’s hasty and just opens you up to look foolish. For me personally, the new Ghostbusters doesn’t interest me, but not due to the folks involved. But that doesn’t mean the door is closed on giving the movie a chance. It has a chance of being better than Ghostbusters 2, and that’s not bad.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
