While the gay rights group GLAAD was able to have the gay joke removed from The Dilemma trailer, Ron Howard decided to keep the joke in the movie and now we’ve learned why.
According to Howard in an interview with the Los Angeles Times:
“[Vaughn’s character] has a mouth that sometimes gets him into trouble and he definitely flirts with the line of what’s okay to say. He tries to do what’s right but sometimes falls short.” Howard goes on to add, “Who can’t relate to that?”
The original trailer, which was edited to remove the joke led to Anderson Cooper on Ellen to say he was “shocked” at what he saw. The scene had Vaughn saying electric cars were “gay” at which point he says he doesn’t mean “homosexual.”
Howard has further defended his view according to Eonline:
“I don’t strip my films of everything that I might personally find inappropriate,” Howard continued, adding that he and his family happen to own several electric cars. “Comedy or drama, I’m always trying to make choices that stir the audience in all kinds of ways. This Ronny Valentine character can be offensive and inappropriate at times and those traits are fundamental to his personality and the way our story works.”
Vince Vaughn who spews the gay slur released the following statement:
“Comedy and joking about our differences breaks tension and brings us together,” he said. “Drawing divided lines over what we can and cannot joke about does exactly that; it divides us. Most importantly, where does it stop?”
