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Oliver Stone criticises current state of Hollywood in scathing attack: 'Everything has become too sensitive'

Michael Campanella/Getty Images
Michael Campanella/Getty Images

Oliver Stone has slammed Hollywood as “too fragile, too sensitive”. The controversial filmmaker called modern movie-making “ridiculous” and said that he is in no rush to work with a studio on a mainstream film.

“Everything has become too fragile, too sensitive,” said the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind movies including Natural Born Killers, Scarface and Platoon. “Hollywood now – you can’t make a film without a COVID adviser. You can’t make a film without a sensitivity counsellor. It’s ridiculous.”

During an interview with The New York Times, Stone said, “The Academy changes its mind every five, 10, two months about what it’s trying to keep up with.”

“It’s politically correct **** and it’s not a world I’m anxious to run into. I’ve never seen it quite mad like this. It’s like an Alice in Wonderland tea party.”

He also complained about the cost of making a film during the current pandemic. “You know, I just read something about how films are going to be very expensive to make now because you need to take all these precautions, and a 50-day shoot becomes a 60-day shoot, and social distancing for actors.”

Stone is in the process of making multiple documentaries, including a feature about John F Kennedy, and another titled A Bright Future which will focus on clean energy. The filmmaker said, “These are documentary subjects and aren’t necessarily going to be popular, but they’re important to me.”

The director is known for voicing controversial opinions. The notable filmmaker has previously defended Vladimir Putin and his series The Putin Interviews.

During a press conference in 2017, Stone also defended Harvey Weinstein when asked to comment on the scandal. Stone issued a follow-up statement on the same day to clarify his stance and explain that he had not realised the robust nature of the Weinstein accusations. Stone told Variety, “I’ve been travelling for the last couple of days and wasn’t aware of all the women who came out to support the original story in The New York Times.”