The executive producer of “Joker” has defended the movie over fears it may incite mass shooters — insisting people cannot “run” from the ugliest sides of society.
“Look at what I consider some of the most important films: What have they done? They’ve held up a mirror to our society, and there are times when people don’t want to see that reflection, they want to run from it,” Michael Uslan told the Asbury Park Press.
“They don’t want to acknowledge it because sometimes the reflection shows warts and all, whether it’s biases and prejudices or what’s happened to our society, reflecting the times.”
The New Jersey native, a producer of the “Batman” film franchise for 30 years, spoke out amid escalating fears that the Joaquin Phoenix-led flick could incite deranged loners. The Army even put out a warning this week to personnel saying that the FBI identified online threats from “incel” extremists to shoot up screenings.
Uslan pointed to other key movies that have told troubling stories of violence, including “Mean Streets” and “A Clockwork Orange.”
“If anything, I believe movies can shake people up and bring issues to attention, whether it’s about guns or the need to treat mental illness or the need for civility and for us to start talking with each other instead of at each other again,” Uslan, who is from Ocean Township, told the Asbury Park Press.
“You can’t suppress that, you can’t censor that.”