When it was announced the actress Sandra Bullock would be leading an all-star female cast in “Ocean’s 8,” many skeptics were concerned that the film would end up like another recent gender-swapped reboot, “Ghostbusters.” As you may know, the Melissa McCarthy and Kristin Wiig “Ghostbusters” reboot was the source of a lot of social media debate and trolling, with the actresses becoming subject to online hate. In a new interview with Variety, Bullock talks about that controversy surrounding “Ghostbusters” and why she hopes people give her new ‘Ocean’s’ film a try.
When asked about the “Ghostbusters” situation, Bullock said, “That was unfair on a level that I can’t even not be mad about talking about. They literally walked into a firing squad.”
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She continues by explaining her statement and why she hopes that the conversation will change after “Ocean’s 8.” “You had five of the most gifted comedian actresses on the planet — I’m just gonna leave it at that,” Bullock said. “And it doesn’t just take five people to make a movie. It takes about 300, so, you know what? Let’s back off the meanness. Let’s have a year of kindness. The women are here — we’re not going anywhere. But this isn’t about just women. We like sitting at the table with men. We just want to be invited to their table as well because we like them at our table.”
It’s too early to say, as “Ocean’s 8” doesn’t open until Friday, but at this point, there doesn’t seem to be the same level of trolling as was evident with “Ghostbusters.” But still, there are definitely people out there that have already prejudged “Ocean’s 8” before seeing the film, based solely on the cast. Bullock has a message for those people.
“My advice for those people is just watch the movie [‘Ocean’s 8’] first and then go on Reddit,” she said. “It’s as simple as that. Watch it first.”
“Ocean’s 8” opens in theaters this Friday.