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."
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.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.