Following the Chauvin guilty verdict on Tuesday, WarnerMedia and several other big Hollywood studios issued statements about racial justice in America.
“The Work Continues,” said WarnerMedia. “While this verdict doesn’t bring back those we’ve so wrongly lost, we know that it brings us closer to significant change. We reaffirm our commitment to be a part of the solution by using our platforms, content, and resources to advance racial equity and social justice.”
— WarnerMedia (@WarnerMedia) April 20, 2021
In response, actor Ray Fisher, who claims that WarnerMedia protected director Joss Whedon and other executives while he endured racial discrimination and abuse during reshoots on “Justice League,” scolded the studio for its alleged hypocrisy.
“How f***ing DARE YOU,” exclaimed Fisher. “Oh, now I’m pissed….”
How fucking DARE YOU @WarnerMedia?!?!?!
Oh, now I’m pissed…. https://t.co/tTscAQS6fJ
— Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) April 20, 2021
In July of last year, Fisher publicly accused Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” behavior while on set.
“Joss Wheadon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable. He was enabled, in many ways, by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. Accountability>Entertainment,” Fisher tweeted in early July.
“During the LA reshoots for Justice League, Geoff Johns summoned me to his office to belittle and admonish my (and my agent’s) attempts to take grievances up the proper chain of command. He then made a thinly veiled threat to my career. This behavior cannot continue,” he then tweeted in August.
WarnerMedia launched an investigation into Fisher’s claims against Whedon, Johns, and Berg. In October 2020, Fisher elaborated on his allegations when he told Forbes that Warner Bros. film boss Toby Emmerich and other executives participated in “racist conversations” during the reshoots and editing.
“What set my soul on fire and forced me to speak out about Joss Whedon this summer was my becoming informed that Joss had ordered that the complexion of an actor of color be changed in postproduction because he didn’t like the color of their skin tone,” Fisher said. “Prior to Justice League’s reshoot process, blatantly racist conversations were had and entertained — on multiple occasions — by former and current top-level executives at Warner Bros. Pictures,” he further alleged. “Decision-makers that participated in those racist conversations were Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, and current Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich.”
Due to these alleged conversations, Fisher determined that race played a factor in Whedon’s decision to cut the roles or minimize the parts given to minority actors — Zheng Kai, Joe Morton, Karen Bryson, and Kiersey Clemons. “I always suspected that race was a determining factor for the way that things went down, but it wasn’t until this past summer that I was able to prove it,” Fisher said.
In December, WarnerMedia concluded its investigation, simply saying that “remedial action” was taken.
Fisher has continued to claim that WarnerMedia worked only to protect those in power while largely dismissing his allegations.
Related: ‘Justice League’ Star Ray Fisher Accuses Warner Bros. Execs Of ‘Racist Conversations’