We’ve been waiting to hear what the rest of the Kick-Ass 2 cast would have to say about the movie’s violence ever since co-star Jim Carrey publicly denounced its level of violence seemingly unprompted. With the movie set to open next week, Hit-Girl herself—well, Chloe Moretz—has finally responded to Carrey’s remarks and with apparent frustration. The Wrap reports Moretz essentially told the U.K. Sun she thinks it’s ludicrous to assume violent movies cause real-life violence. She says:
"It's a movie. If you are going to believe and be affected by an action film, you shouldn't go to see Pocahontas because you are going to think you are a Disney princess. If you are that easily swayed, you might see The Silence of the Lambs and think you are a serial killer. It's a movie and it's fake, and I've known that since I was a kid ... I don't want to run around trying to kill people and cuss (in real life). If anything, these movies teach you what not to do.”
The sixteen-year-old actress’s last statement might be a bit of an overreach, but you see her point. People go into a movie knowing it’s fiction, and for the vast majority of us onscreen violence is not something that inspires us to commit real-life assaults or murders. Still, this appears to be the very thing Carrey, an outspoken gun control advocate, fears.
In late June, the comedian who plays the literally ball-busting vigilante Colonel Stars and Stripes in the sequel to the decidedly violent R-rated Kick-Ass surprised just about everyone when he shared the following thoughts on Twitter:
“"People keep saying to me, ‘Are you pissed off at Jim Carrey?' No, I'm delighted with Jim Carrey, this is amazing. For your main actor to publicly say, ‘This movie is too violent for me' is like saying, ‘This porno has too much nudity. We'll have to go and see this now.' ”
Millar has never been known for his eloquence or subtlety. But beyond promising fans of the first film even more mayhem, he previously pointed out that the first film—and he assures the second—don’t only show gory violence, but also their repercussions. This is part of what made Kick-Ass so affecting. Its hero is not invulnerable; he’s a brave kid with a superhuman fearlessness. He could die. Hit-Girl nearly dies, and then has to watch her father die. In Kick-Ass 2, the death of Chris D’Amico’s father inspires him to new heights of villainy. How well this plays out in the second film will be seen when Kick-Ass 2 opens on August 16th.
