Scenes That Put Actors In The Center Of Public Controversy

While many Hollywood actors want to star in a movie that makes headlines, they want it on the front page for its critical acclaim or big box office bucks. Few actors are thrilled, however, when their big, new movie gets attention for being problematic, for a scene that pushes boundaries a little too far, offends an audience, and causes controversy. When that does happen, it can put them in an unfortunate spot — do they defend the artistic integrity of the work, or do they apologize for going too far?

As cultural and societal norms continue to shift, and filmmakers become bolder, this has become more prevalent. Sometimes it's because a film features graphic violence, or flirts with the boundaries of good taste; other times, it's scenes that provoke outrage among more traditional, old-fashioned moviegoers. 

Such scandals can often catch the actors involved off-guard; after all, they were merely performing the roles as written for them. How they answer the controversy can be crucial: Will they rise above the fray? Or will the controversy overshadow the film — and perhaps, even their career? 

From blockbusters to indie darlings, controversial movie scenes can appear just about anywhere. Below, a few that have put actors front-and-center in a public controversy.

Since making their mark on Hollywood in the late '90s with "The Matrix," the Wachowskis have struggled to find a hit movie project that can approach its cultural resonance. After their live-action adaptation of the 1966-1968 cartoon "Speed Racer" bombed in theaters, they turned to "Cloud Atlas," a beloved sci-fi novel from author David Mitchell. 

A centuries-spanning tale that sees a number of characters being reincarnated across hundreds of years, around the globe and into space as humanity eventually takes to the stars, "Atlas" called for some of its characters to swap ethnicities. This created a very real scandal that would serve as a canary in the coal mine for later projects like "Ghost in the Shell," "Iron Fist," and "Nina," overshadowed by casting decisions that seemed insensitive to race. Rather than casting new actors for its reincarnated storylines, the Wachowskis chose to employ make-up and prosthetics to turn several white actors — including Hugo Weaving, James D'Arcy, and Jim Sturgess — into characters from South Korea.

The movie was almost instantly hit with claims of racism by critics. Accused of using so-called "yellowface" — having Asian characters played by white actors, as employed by Hollywood for decades in everything from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" to the "Charlie Chan" films — the stars of "Atlas" found themselves in the middle of a groundswelling conversation about racial stereotypes in film. The film's condemnation by the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans was just another nail in the film's weak box-office coffin.

"It's an artistically ambitious approach to filmmaking," said the MANAA founder and president. "Unfortunately, it reflects the same old racial pecking order that the entertainment industry has been practicing for years." 

Written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, the 2020 movie "Monster Hunter" was based on a popular video game set in a bizarre parallel world where mankind lives alongside gigantic, ravaging monsters. 

Anderson once again cast wife Milla Jovovich in the starring role; she plays Artemis, a U.S. Army Ranger pulled into the other world, who must battle the beasts to rescue a team of lost soldiers. A box office bomb, "Monster Hunters" wound up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, with one scene proving so offensive it was ultimately excised from the film entirely.

In the scene, a character played by Asian-American rapper-turned-actor Jin Au-Yeung cracks a joke that consists of a childish and arguably racist pun, and it garnered immediate backlash. The film was quickly boycotted from cinemas in China, was the subject of widespread derision, and Anderson was forced to issue an apology to audiences. Au-Yeung, too, came out to say he was sorry, but also to explain and justify why he as an Asian-American didn't feel like he'd crossed a line.

"There has been severe controversy due to a line my character says," he posted on his Instagram (per MovieWeb). "The line was intended to be uplifting. I felt a need to address this situation because what is at stake is not my career but something even more dear to my heart — my roots. I've spent the last 20 years using my platform to embrace and be a positive voice for my community. I am and will always be proud of my heritage."

A coming-of-age drama from 2007, "Hounddog" was written and directed by Deborah Kampmeier, and starred Dakota Fanning, Piper Laurie, David Morse, and Robin Wright Penn. The film told the story of a little girl in 1950s Alabama, whose abusive home life is buoyed by the music of Elvis Presley. 

A somber, dreary drama, there's one scene in particular that raised a ruckus among audiences and critics, when the 12-year old girl is sexually assaulted. More than just a dark, disturbing moment, some lashed out at the filmmakers for exploiting the pre-teen actor playing her, Fanning.

Facing an onslaught of tirades from all sides, Fanning showed poise and professionalism and defended the scene, the movie, and the filmmakers. "It's a movie and it's called acting," the actress said (via the NZ Herald). "What drew me to the film was that my character shows people that you can overcome adversity in life and it doesn't define you." Fanning also felt that the scene could actually be inspirational. "Just because something terrible happened to her doesn't mean she can't have a great life. I wanted to do the film because I thought it might help one person that has happened to and help them overcome adversity in their lives."

In addition, the young actress pushed back against those who blamed the adults around her, including her own family. "When it gets to the point of attacking my mother, my agent ... my teacher, who were all on the set that day, that started to make me mad." 

If there's anything that can rile up a mass audience it's a gratuitous sex scene, which can often be downright uncomfortable to sit through, especially in a public setting like a movie theater. As a result, some films have come under fire for salacious scenes that stretch the bounds of discretion — in 2010, "Blue Valentine" courted such controversy. 

With a pair of top Hollywood stars – Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling — the film chronicled a young couple's love, from their initial passionate affair through their tumultuous marriage.

One scene in question, however, got "Valentine" in trouble, and not just because it got the film slapped with an NC-17 label (though the decision was ultimately reversed, and the movie released with an R rating). It involved a sex act, and many weren't happy with the graphic depiction of the intimate moment. 

Williams stood firm, insisting there was nothing wrong with the scene, and she wasn't pressured to take part in it in any way. "When we shot that scene, both Ryan and [director] Derek [Cianfrance] said to me, 'If this bothers you when you see it in the movie, we'll take it out,'" she told Reuters. "I thought, 'I've never seen that before in a movie and I'm proud to be the first. Good on us for making that happen.' As the woman in the situation that was in question, I found absolutely nothing scandalous, tawdry or disgusting about it."

Though famed for its thought-provoking, often downright cerebral stories, "Star Trek" has been surprisingly filled with sex appeal since its inception in the 1960s. In the original series, it wasn't uncommon to see a scantily clad alien babe locking lips with Captain Kirk or doing a provocative dance. Even into the 2000s, the addition of characters like Seven of Nine and the Vulcan T'Pol on "Enterprise" were obvious attempts to spice up the franchise, yet the movies largely leaned away from such titillation. In 2014, however, a single scene in J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek Into Darkness" drew criticism for its attempt to pander to the male gaze.

Right in the middle of it was actress Alice Eve, who played Kirk's one-time love interest and Starfleet officer Carol Marcus. During a moment on a mission, Marcus must change into a different uniform, and asks Kirk not to watch. Of course he does, and so does the audience, prompting the camera to lock onto Eve's nearly-naked form to allow everyone to gawk. It was a scene viewed by many as awkward and inappropriate at best, grossly misogynistic and exploitative at worst. But Eve herself had no qualms, defending the scene.

"It was something I voluntarily worked with a trainer to be fit for, was very much prepared for, and very much enjoyed — filming, executing, promoting," said the actress in an interview with Inverse. "The feeling I shouldn't have done it, or that it was exploitation, was confusing to me."

Actress Olivia Wilde has found herself in the middle of several controversies over the years, most recently as director on the film "Don't Worry Darling." A few years earlier, it came via a film she starred in: The 2019 biopic "Richard Jewell," from fellow actor-director Clint Eastwood. 

"Jewell" recounts the real-life story of the man wrongfully accused of the 1996 Olympic bombing, and how one journalist's misguided zeal led to years of persecution for him. Wilde played journalist Kathy Scruggs — who died in 2011 — and some weren't happy with how she portrayed the reporter on screen. 

One scene in particular ruffled feathers, as it showed Scruggs offering to trade sex to an FBI agent in an effort to obtain information on the suspect; no such moment ever actually occurred. Nevertheless, Wilde defended the scene in a red carpet interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I have an immense amount of respect for Kathy Scruggs," she said while pointing out the double standard between how men and women use sex, in both real life and movies. 

"I think people have a hard time accepting sexuality in female characters without allowing it to entirely define that character," Wilde said. "I think that Kathy Scruggs is an incredibly dynamic, nuanced, dogged, intrepid reporter. By no means was I intending to suggest that as a female reporter, she needed to use her sexuality."