Finn Jones Blames Donald Trump For Bad Reviews Of 'Iron Fist,' Talks Internet Outrage

Whoever is handling Finn Jones might want to take him off the interview circuit, or maybe give him some media training. The actor, who quit Twitter last year after he faced online backlash for being cast as the lead in Marvel‘s poorly reviewed Netflix series “Iron Fist,” is going on the offensive in the lead up to the show’s debut on Friday. He’s already taken the “it’s for the fans” approach, but is now blaming the orange buffoon in the White House for the poor reception to “Iron Fist.”

“I think the world has changed a lot since we were filming that television show. I’m playing a white American billionaire superhero, at a time when the white American billionaire archetype is public enemy number one, especially in the US,” he pontificated to Radio Times. “We filmed the show way before Trump’s election, and I think it’s very interesting to see how that perception, now that Trump’s in power, how it makes it very difficult to root for someone coming from white privilege, when that archetype is public enemy number one.”

While the show has come under considerable fire for its questionable handling of its ethnic elements, it’s hard to believe that the reaction would’ve been different had Hilary Clinton won the election. However, one does have some sympathy for Jones, who has been forced to defend “Iron Fist” from almost the moment he’s been cast, which probably isn’t how he imagined landing his first major TV role.

“There’s so much outrage in the internet these days, right? Why don’t people just — look, the issue is that people are judging before they’ve even seen the show. And that’s problematic. C’mon. Don’t get angry and start a mob when you don’t even — you haven’t even seen the show!” he told Vulture in an interview conducted last fall, but published this week. “You don’t even know what we’re doing with it. It’s unjust. It’s unfair. Whatever issues they have may be true of the comic books; it was written in the ’70s. It was a very different time to where we’re at now. Very, very different. I get it. There needs to be more diversity in film and television, in all fucking aspects of life. There needs to be more diversity, period. Unfortunately, this show was picked, for whatever reason. I don’t fully understand, really, but what I say is, Watch the show. Watch the show, then make your opinions.”

“Netflix and Marvel are two of the most forward-thinking entertainment distributors out at the moment. They’re making very good choices, especially when it comes to diversity. And they’re not fucking this up. They know exactly what they’re doing. The story we’re telling — people are going to be surprised at how we are going to handle this. To be honest, this is one of the most diverse shows I’ve ever worked on. It’s got an amazing cast from all different backgrounds, playing all different types of roles,” he continued. “I think as soon as the show comes out, all of that conversation will be completely muted, straight away.”

Well, that last part didn’t quite happen, and perhaps it might be best if Jones not read any more reviews of “Iron Fist.”