The actress portraying the Grand High Witch in the movie expresses her remorse for the pain she caused to children with limb differences after Warner Bros. officials issued their apology.
- Nov 6, 2020
AceShowbiz - Anne Hathaway tries to make amends over the damaging portrayal of disability in "The Witches". One day after Warner Bros. officials issued an apology to the disability community, the actress playing the Grand High Witch in the movie promised to do better as she expressed remorse for her involvement.
The 37-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday, November 5 to share a video from Lucky Fin Project that raises awareness on children, individuals and families affected by limb differences. After thanking the nonprofit for the clip, she began addressing the issue, "I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches."
"Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for," the wife of Adam Shulman continued. "As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused."
"I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened," the Academy Award winner stressed. "I particularly want to say I'm sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I'll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I'm sorry I let your family down."
When concluding her apologetic statement, the Andrea Sachs of "The Devil Wears Prada" urged fans and followers to learn more about the issue at hand. "If you aren't already familiar, please check out the @Lucky_Fin_Project (video above) and the #NotAWitch hashtag to get a more inclusive and necessary perspective on limb difference," she stated.
Anne's apology came after Warner Bros. officials told Deadline that they were "deeply saddened to learn that our depiction of the fictional characters in 'The Witches' could upset people with disabilities." They also "regretted any offense caused" by the film.
