Shane Black's new movie The Predator is now in theaters but while some may be focused on the film, a lot of the buzz around the movie right now is surrounds what you won't see in it. Specifically, a scene that was cut at the last minute following the revelation that the actor in it was a registered sex offender. Since the casting of the man in question was done by director Shane Black, who had a personal relationship with the man, a lot of heat has come down upon him. Last night, at the red carpet premiere of The Predator, Black apologized to everyone for everything that came about due to what he called an "irresponsible" error in judgment. Check out his full apology below.
Shane Black tells the Associated Press that as director of The Predator he was the captain of the ship and ultimately responsible for everything that happened. And he does take full responsibility. He understands that he made a serious error in hiring his friend Steven Wilder Striegel and putting him in a scene in the movie. While he does say that there were things he didn't know about the situation that shocked him, he doesn't use that as an excuse, he says it was his job to make sure those things don't happen, and in this case, he failed, causing pain to people in his cast.
He's also upset because, due to his error, this situation is now hanging over the movie, which means the cast and crew that helped make it can't enjoy their success as much. He does say he hopes he learns from this experience. If this apology is as genuine as it sounds, he almost certainly will.
All of this transpired just about a week ago, when Olivia Munn, who shared the one scene that Steven Wilder Striegel appeared in, learned of his history as a sex offender. She brought the information to studio 20th Century Fox, who made the decision to cut the scene ahead of The Predator's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Frequently, we see public apologies like this get defensive or attempt explanations or justifications. We certainly don't see that here which is a welcome change of pace. Shane Black clearly understands he made a big mistake in the eyes of his cast and the public in general. While this is potentially a much bigger mistake than the average person makes on a daily basis, and an apology alone might not be enough to clear up the issue in everybody's eyes, the apology is an important part of making things right and it's an indication that Black understands what he needs to do to earn back the trust of others.
