The actor playing Peter Parker in the upcoming fan-made film Spider-Man Lotus issues an apology for racist and homophobic remarks which resurfaced on social media.
Warden Wayne is under fire after screenshots of him using offensive language resurface
Wayne plays Peter Parker in the upcoming fan project called Spider-Man: Lotus. However, screenshots of an Instagram conversation showed Wayne using racist and homophobic language. The actor issued his apology through a lengthy post on his personal Twitter account.
Read his full apology here:
The messages from Wayne were sent when he was a teenager. He acknowledged that his words were hurtful and inappropriate in his apology. Moreover, he adds that growing up in a conservative environment while homeschooling influenced his values.
“Years ago when I was in high school, I used to say terrible things. I used offensive language, often homophobic or racially insensitive, casually or in jokes. I am sorry, and I’m ashamed,” Wayne shared in his apology tweet.
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Friends made online are another reason for the Spider-Man: Lotus actor’s offensive remarks
Other factors that influenced this thinking in Wayne were his friends at the time. Furthermore, the actor came clean about wanting to “fit in and have friends”. However, he admits to feeling ashamed for his actions just so he could fit in.
“I was an immature kid with too much time and no sense of integrity. I was stupid,” he admitted before sharing about how he’s changed his habits over the past years.
Wayne, now 22, promises to “continue trying to be a better person” after this revelation.
Writer and director of the fan project comments on the situation
Gavin J. Konop is the writer and director for Spider-Man: Lotus. After Wayne posted his apology, Konop posted his response to the controversy surrounding his project. According to Konop, the actor was honest with him about his ignorance in the past.
“I can’t do anything much as a consequence, as this is a non-profit project and there’s nothing that we as creators have gained,” Konop shares. “However, please do not allow this to detract from the tireless passion that crew members have worked across the board to deliver.”
Additionally, Konop revealed that he he has done everything in his power to hold Wayne accountable. But for the director, the comments Wayne made will “live with him for the rest of his life.”
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Outraged fans urge for a boycott of Spider-Man: Lotus
After Konop posted his statement on Wayne’s situation, screenshots from his previous posts also resurfaced. In the screenshots, Konop used similar racist language as Wayne. This led to fans calling to boycott the film after the offensive comments from both the director and actor.
https://twitter.com/gjkcentral/status/1538965153286279168
As of writing, Konop is taking a break from social media. However, he has promised to post a formal response to the screenshots of him making racist remarks in the past once he comes back.
As mentioned, Spider-Man: Lotus is a non-profit fan project. The film is a mix of “The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man: Blue”. Moreover, the film focuses on Peter living life after Gwen Stacy’s death. There is no official release date yet, but previous conversations about the project hint at a 2022 release.
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What are your thoughts on this news regarding the actor in Spider-Man Lotus? We would love to hear them in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
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I’m still going to be excited for and watch the movie. We can detach art from the artist. Like some people would say the Hitler’s paintings where really good. Basically, there’s nothing I can do about it except keep an eye on his future projects, if the internet doesn’t crush him first.
I agree with you. Just because he said something racist in the comfort of his own home does not mean that Spider-man: Lotus itself represents racism. It represents Spider-man.