Writer and Director Terry Gilliam sat down for an interview with The Independent, and instead of discussing his new movie “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” Gilliam blasted the #MeToo movement and voiced his grievances over being a victimized white male in the current social climate.
While briefly describing a female character in his film who becomes an escort, Gilliam said, “In the age of #MeToo, here’s a girl who takes responsibility for her state. Whatever happened in this character’s life, she’s not accusing anybody.”
He continued, “We’re living in a time where there’s always somebody responsible for your failures, and I don’t like this. I want people to take responsibility and not just constantly point a finger at somebody else, saying, ‘You’ve ruined my life.'”
The former Monty Python member then switched gears to the alleged victims of Harvey Weinstein, many of which he calls “ambitious adults” who made decisions while trying to advance their careers in the industry.
He said of his colleague, “There are many victims in Harvey’s life, and I feel sympathy for them, but then, Hollywood is full of very ambitious people who are adults and they make choices.”
Furthermore, the director claims he has come across well-known actresses who have implied that they would do whatever it takes to land movie roles. He said, “I don’t understand why people behave as if this hasn’t been going on as long as there’ve been powerful people.” Gilliam continued, “I understand that men have had more power longer, but I’m tired, as a white male, of being blamed for everything that is wrong with the world.”
Then, as if the interview couldn’t go anymore awry, Gilliam called himself a “black lesbian in transition,” noting people take offense to the title for reasons he doesn’t quite understand. He said, “I’m talking about being a man accused of all the wrong in the world because I’m white-skinned. So I better not be a man. I better not be white. OK, since I don’t find men sexually attractive, I’ve got to be a lesbian.”
The interview ends with Gilliam saying he’s not going to “hit” the female Independent interviewer, even though he felt they were “arguing.” The interview may already be the most shocking of 2020, but hopefully it will be the only one from the outspoken movie director. That was a mouthful.
