Bella Thorne has been making headlines for a plethora of reasons over the past few years. Whether it be competing on The Masked Singer or producing an award-wining porn film, she’s been involved a quite a few things. Most recently, she joined OnlyFans, an online subscription service that deals in a variety of content, including adult-oriented entertainment. Thorne has found quite a bit of success with the service and recently revealed that she was developing a film that chronicles how the service affects people. The Florida Project director Sean Baker was reportedly attached to the project but, now, the filmmaker is setting the record straight on that front.
In a statement released on Twitter, Sean Baker stated that not only is he not attached to Bella Thorne’s OnlyFans film but that he actually has two other features in development that have nothing to do with the topic:
I would like to make it clear that the news of me making a film (documentary or fiction narrative) about OnlyFans and using Bella Thorne as research is false. I’m NOT attached to this project. I’m actually in development on two features that I’ve put years of research and love in to and neither of these films have anything to do with Ms. Thorne or Onlyfans.
Sean Baker did, however, clarify that he did speak with Bella Thorne earlier this month about working together on a potential project at some point in the future. And he apparently gave some keen advice to Thorne and her team:
Earlier this month, I had a conversation with Ms. Thorne and discussed a possible collaboration in the far future that would focus on her life and the circumstances leading to her joining Onlyfans. On that call, I advised her team to consult with sex works and address the way she went about this as to NOT hurt the sex work industry. This has been the extent of my involvement.
The director’s hesitance to get involved stems from a desire to tell stories about marginalized lifestyles, which he continued to stress in his message:
I am an ally and have literally devoted my career to tell stories that remove stigma and normalize lifestyles that are under attack. I would never do anything that could possibly hurt the community. So please know that this news is not correct. Thank you.
Through his work, Sean Baker has never strayed from painting honest and human portrayals of individuals in stigmatized communities and positions. In the 2004 film Take Out, he showed life through the lens of an illegal Chinese immigrant working as a deliveryman for a restaurant and, through 2015’s Tangerine, he explored the life of a transgender sex worker.
Based on the level of care that Sean Baker takes when telling these stories, it’s easy to see why he would advise Bella Thorne and her team to be cautious. We’ll have to wait and see if Thorne and her collaborators are able to do their due diligence and team up with Baker for the project.
