X-Men 3 Director Brett Ratner Steps Down As Oscar Producer, Pens Letter Of Apology

To say that director Brett Ratner is unpopular here on CBM is something of an understatement. I don't think that it's even the fact that his work on the third X-Men movie was THAT bad as it is his attitude in general-insulting what he considers the "fanboys" that criticized X3. He basically just seems to be, well, an asshat. The Tower Heist director did nothing to change that perception when he rammed both feet straight down his gob earlier this week. First in response to a passage in Olivia Munn's book that describes a run in with Ratner he claimed to have "banged" her and then forgot who she was. He later went back on this, simply claiming that "she was hot". Then it got even worse as when asked about his directorial style in an interview he said "rehearsal is for fags". And now after coming under fire from all directions he has unsurprisingly stepped down as the producer of the Academy Awards next year and offered this grovelling apology..

Dear Colleagues,
Over the last few days, I’ve gotten a well-deserved earful from many of the people I admire most in this industry expressing their outrage and disappointment over the hurtful and stupid things I said in a number of recent media appearances. To them, and to everyone I’ve hurt and offended, I’d like to apologize publicly and unreservedly.

As difficult as the last few days have been for me, they cannot compare to the experience of any young man or woman who has been the target of offensive slurs or derogatory comments. And they pale in comparison to what any gay, lesbian, or transgender individual must deal with as they confront the many inequalities that continue to plague our world.

So many artists and craftspeople in our business are members of the LGBT community, and it pains me deeply that I may have hurt them. I should have known this all along, but at least I know it now: words do matter. Having love in your heart doesn’t count for much if what comes out of your mouth is ugly and bigoted. With this in mind, and to all those who understandably feel that apologies are not enough, please know that I will be taking real action over the coming weeks and months in an effort to do everything I can both professionally and personally to help stamp out the kind of thoughtless bigotry I’ve so foolishly perpetuated.

As a first step, I called Tom Sherak this morning and resigned as a producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast. Being asked to help put on the Oscar show was the proudest moment of my career. But as painful as this may be for me, it would be worse if my association with the show were to be a distraction from the Academy and the high ideals it represents.

I am grateful to GLAAD for engaging me in a dialogue about what we can do together to increase awareness of the important and troubling issues this episode has raised and I look forward to working with them. I am incredibly lucky to have a career in this business that I love with all of my heart and to be able to work alongside so many of my heroes. I deeply regret my actions and I am determined to learn from this experience.

Sincerely,

Brett Ratner

By TwitterButtons.com