Todd Phillips Doesn’t Think It’s Fair That ‘John Wick’ Gets A Pass For Its Violence But ‘Joker’ Doesn’t

Before, during, and after the first reactions and reviews for Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker began popping up, the “discourse” concerning the character’s latest portrayal and its use of violence has been incessant. This is especially true given the recent letter that was written by Aurora, Colorado theater shooting victims’ families, and Warner Bros.’s official public response to their concerns. Now, Phillips has waded into the brewing controversy with a point about… John Wick?

In an interview with the Associated Press, the director acknowledged that what happened in Aurora was “obviously a horrible, horrible situation,” but stressed that “even that was not something you blame on the movie.” He also noted that Joker “takes place in a fictional world” and, though “it can have real-world implications,” it’s primarily about “a fictional character in a fictional world that’s been around for 80 years.” That’s when the John Wick franchise enters the picture:

“The one that bugs me more is the toxic white male thing when you go, ‘Oh, I just saw John Wick 3.’ He’s a white male who kills 300 people and everybody’s laughing and hooting and hollering. Why does this movie get held to different standards? It honestly doesn’t make sense to me.”

Looks like the “discourse” won’t be ending anytime soon, folks. Check out the AP‘s interview clip with Phillips below.

(Via Associated Press)