THE WITCHES Star Anne Hathaway Responds To Recent Backlash: "I Owe You All An Apology For The Pain Caused"

Warner Bros.' re-adaptation of The Witches was recently slammed by disability campaigners for its depiction of the fictional villains' clawed hands, and star Anne Hathaway has now issued a response...

By MarkCassidy - Nov 06, 2020 04:11 AM EST

Filed Under: Fantasy

Robert Zemeckis' new take on The Witches recently came in for a sizable amount of backlash from disability rights campaigners for its depiction of the witches' hands, and following a statement from Warner Bros., star Anne Hathaway has now issued a response of her own.

In the book, the villainous women are described as having five clawed fingers, but the film removes the middle digits, and the result has been perceived as looking quite similar to the limb abnormality ectrodactyly.

Hathaway took to Instagram to apologize for any pain caused, while spotlighting a video from the Lucky Fin Project.

"Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for," said the Dark Knight Rises actress. "As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry."

View this post on Instagram

I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches. Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for. As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened. I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down. If you aren’t already familiar, please check out the @Lucky_Fin_Project (video above) and the #NotAWitch hashtag to get a more inclusive and necessary perspective on limb difference.

A post shared by Anne Hathaway (@annehathaway) on Nov 5, 2020 at 11:11am PST

What do you guys make of this? Is the backlash justified, or are people making too much out of the depiction of a fictional, non-human character? Let us know in the comments.

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89 Comments

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RageDriver2401 - 11/6/2020, 4:05 AM When will people learn that a fictional character with a certain physical "features" or disabilities does not represent EVERYBODY with those features or disabilities. Login to report abuse
Origame - 11/6/2020, 4:09 AM @RageDriver2401 - ikr? I haven't even found a single person who has this condition who said anything about it. This outrage culture is ridiculous. Login to report abuse






























KWilly - 11/6/2020, 4:14 AM Pretty soon, the Ninja Turtle creators gonna be forced to apologize about this... Login to report abuse
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THE WITCHES Star Anne Hathaway Responds To Recent Backlash: "I Owe You All An Apology For The Pain Caused"

Warner Bros.' re-adaptation of The Witches was recently slammed by disability campaigners for its depiction of the fictional villains' clawed hands, and star Anne Hathaway has now issued a response...

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