Wesley Snipe’s Blade: Trinity was the worst-reviewed movie in the Blade trilogy. The film was directed by David S. Goyer, who was the writer of all three Blade films. The fate of the film was not surprising, considering all the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding it. Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, and Dominic Purcell starred alongside Snipes in this third installment.
Snipes was reportedly very difficult to work with on the sets of Blade: Trinity. A few years later, the Rising Sun actor was also convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for a tax fraud case. Snipes’s career faced a major setback after both these incidents, making it difficult for him to find work in Hollywood.
Blade Co-Star Alleged Wesley Snipes Tried To Strangle The Director
Among the several reports of Wesley Snipes’ on-set behavior, one notable first-hand account came from Patton Oswalt. Oswalt played the role of Hedges in Blade: Trinity and he also played another Marvel character in the MCU project, Eternals, as Pip the Troll. Oswalt, appearing in an interview with AV Club, accused Snipes of causing trouble during filming.
Oswalt claimed that Snipes fought with David S. Goyer over his script and direction, and refused to film most of the scenes. Allegedly, the Jungle Fever actor then only appeared in close-up shots and used a stand-in for distant shots. Oswalt further stated that the Demolition Man actor wouldn’t leave his trailer and was confrontational when he did appear on set. In one such incident, the 22 Jump Street actor recalled that Snipes accused Goyer of racism and tried to strangle him.
According to the Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor, Snipes wanted Goyer to quit the film, but the latter refused. After this, the Drop Zone actor stopped talking to the director, only communicating through Post-it notes. Oswalt claimed that Ryan Reynolds‘s role was expanded to compensate for Snipes’s absence. Interestingly, the U.S. Marshals actor later accused the film of intentionally cutting his screen time in favor of Reynolds and Jessica Biel.
Wesley Snipes Alleged Racism While Responding To The Accusations
Wesley Snipes appeared in a rare interview after his prison release with The Guardian in 2020. When asked about Patton Oswalt’s accusations, Snipes dismissed them as false accusations reasoning that if he had assaulted the director, he would have landed in jail. Further, The Expendables 3 actor highlighted the racist angle to Oswalt’s accusations. Snipes told The Guardian:
“This is part of the challenges that we as African Americans face here in America – these microaggressions. The presumption that one white guy can make a statement and that statement stands as true! Why would people believe his version is true? Because they are predisposed to believing the black guy is always the problem.”
The Passenger 57 actor shared that he barely remembered Oswalt on set, who had a small role. However, David S. Goyer did not deny Oswalt’s statements when asked about them in an interview. He stated that he was not friends with Snipes anymore, but respected him as an actor. Goyer told The Hollywood Reporter:
“I don’t think anybody involved with that film is happy with the results. It was a very tortured production.”
Also Read: Wesley Snipes’ Net Worth- How Much Money Did He Make From Blade Trilogy to Play the Badas* Vampire?
It is difficult to determine the truth from these conflicting accounts. However, Snipes is slowly returning to mainstream films, with successful ventures like Dolemite Is My Name and Coming 2 America. The Blade trilogy is now available for streaming on Max.
Source: AV Club, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter
