‘Ghostbusters’ Star Kristen Wiig Reacts to Controversy

Paul Feig’s upcoming Ghostbusters movie sparked controversy the moment it was announced — instead of remaking the classic, Feig opted to cast women in the lead roles, and you can’t throw a rock on the internet without hitting someone who is annoyed with it. Reactions have been incredibly sexist and cruel, with fans accusing Feig of ruining the beloved franchise. The hatred has become so prevalent that even Feig recently reached his breaking point. But now another member of the project is weighing in, as Kristen Wiig has shared her thoughts on the reactions to the new Ghostbusters.

While speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Wiig was asked if she’s ever made a film that inspired so much controversy, to which the actress replied:

No. And the fact there was so much controversy because we were women was surprising to me. Some people said some really not nice things about the fact that there were women. It didn’t make me mad, it just really bummed me out. We’re really honoring those movies.

Wiig’s right: it is a total bummer. To be honest, if Feig — or any other director — were making an actual remake or “reboot,” fans would be outraged and there would be accusations of childhoods being ruined (fact: a movie cannot go back in time and ruin your childhood, nor can it soil your memories / nostalgia of something that already exists).

But Feig’s Ghostbusters is a special case — even though he’s not replacing male actors with women and using the same character names, fans are annoyed because they’re women, not men. The original Ghostbusters were men because that’s the group of talent Harold Ramis enjoyed working with at the time (just as Feig often works with Melissa McCarthy!). Their male gender didn’t define who they were, and you could have easily replaced half of those characters with women and simply changed their names, and nothing would be different about it.

The original film is great, of course, and Feig’s new film doesn’t change that or soil its legacy. It’s just a fun idea. The anger toward Feig and his project is completely irrational and baffling. Ghostbusters has assembled a great cast, including Wiig, Melissa McCarthy (whose best work has been with Feig), and SNL stars Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Cecily Strong.

Ghostbusters hits theaters on July 22, 2016, and you can complain about it all you want, but these women ain’t afraid of no internet comments.