The star of Netflix’s upcoming “Iron Fist” series blames the election of President Donald Trump for poor reviews of his work.
Actor Finn Jones plays a billionaire named Danny Rand in “Iron Fist,” which begins streaming Friday on Netflix. Early reviews have lamented slow pacing, tepid fight sequences and other artistic shortcomings. Regardless, Mr. Jones says critics are subconsciously projecting a dislike for Mr. Trump onto the show.
“I think the world has changed a lot since we were filming that television show,” Mr. Jones told Radio Times on Monday. “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 U.S.
“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,” the actor continued.
This is the second time in recent weeks that Mr. Jones has courted controversy. The actor released a statement March 6 after an argument with fans who complained that his character — a white martial arts master — should be Asian.
“I engaged politely, diplomatically and attempted to bridge the divide,” Mr. Jones said, Deadline Hollywood reported. “I’m currently in the middle of filming and I need to stay focused on bringing to life this character without judgment, so I decided to remove myself from twitter for the time being.”
“I am very proud of the work everyone has done on this series and I’m excited for people to see how we’ve adapted the story. We have gone to great lengths to represent a diverse cast with an intelligent, socially progressive storyline. I hope people can watch the show before making judgments. In times, as divisive as these, we need to stay unified, compassionate and understanding in our differences.”
The entertainment website i09 called the actor’s comments on Mr. Trump “dumb” on Monday before noting the popularity of Marvel’s Tony Stark (Iron Man) and DC Comics’ Bruce Wayne (Batman), both white male characters with vast fortunes.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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