Diya Majumdar
In the spring of 2022, the Sunshine State faced the highly criticized, potentially dangerous, and essentially devastating bill targeting the LGBTQ+ community. At the time, Oscar Isaac was the latest face and biggest name headlining the Marvel x Disney+ show, Moon Knight that would premiere on the streaming service on March 30, 2022.
It was the consequential response for media outlets to get a word or two out of the actor who was to appear on television as part of a Disney project, the company that had failed to take a stand against the bill despite being such a vocal ally and supporter of LGBTQ+ representation.
Also read: Oscar Isaac Didn’t Want Marvel Stardom, Called $6M Moon Knight Role a Mental Torment
Hollywood’s Protest Against Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
When news of protests and mass boycotts echoed loudly across Hollywood, Disney – one of the largest, most powerful, culturally influential, and one of Florida’s biggest political donors remained suspiciously silent on the subject. In response, employees staged walkouts, and vocally criticized Disney’s then-CEO, Bob Chapek, with some even handing in their notices upon witnessing the downright violation of their trust and beliefs.
Later, the company leadership would take active measures to address the issue. Bob Chapek handed out a company-wide memo apologizing for his delay in doing right by his employees and Disney’s millions of loyal fans. Not only did he explain his stance and acknowledge his mistake (“You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry”) but also withdrew Disney’s political donations in Florida for the time being. On July 1, 2023, the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill will have completed one year since it was signed into effect.
Oscar Isaac Addresses Disney’s Stance on the PRE Bill
The busy promotion season that piqued the fans’ interest in the months leading up to Moon Knight, the anticipated series from one of the biggest franchises in the world with one of the largest fandoms on the planet was plagued by the subject of the notorious Parental Rights in Education Bill. The issue was being brought up in every high-profile interview of the leading man, Oscar Isaac, who also happened to star in Disney’s yet another Lucasfilm project, The Rise of Skywalker. The actor, in an interview with The New York Times, addressed the controversial topic in so many words stating:
“Disney was forced to take a stand and I’m glad that they took the right stand there. Sometimes silence or neutrality is just not going to work […] It’s an interesting time where everything is parsed, and if Disney is going to own so much of the entertainment industry, they’ve got to expect to come up against some tough decisions.”
Oscar Isaac’s Marvel miniseries was received with mixed reactions from fans and critics and Moon Knight currently boasts an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. There has been no official confirmation from the studio regarding the future of the series or the possibility of having Isaac appear in the mainstream MCU.
Moon Knight and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker is now available for streaming on Disney+.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse premieres in theatres on 2 June 2023.
Source: The New York Times
