Grant Gustin, who plays the title hero on “The Flash,” and Eric Wallace, the showrunner for the series, spoke out publicly on Monday after the firing of Hartley Sawyer, an actor on the show. Sawyer was dismissed for tweets he made before joining the series in 2017. The tweets, which were recently resurfaced, included jokes about racism and several remarks against women.
Gustin wrote on Instagram: “I will say I was shocked, saddened and angry when I saw the tweets. Words matter.”
In a joint statement, the network and the show’s producers, Warner Bros. TV and Berlanti Productions, announced that the actor would not return for the new season in the fall. It also stated: “We do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce.”
On May 30, Sawyer posted an apology on Instagram which read, in part: “I’m not here to make excuses — regardless of the intention, my words matter and they carry profound consequences.”
Wallace, who is also an executive producer for “The Flash,” posted his own statement on Twitter. He said: “Concerning his social media tweets, they broke my heart and made me mad as hell. And they’re indicative of the larger problem in our country. Because at present, our country still accepts and protects the continual harassment — unconscious or otherwise — terrorizing and brutalizing of Black and Brown people, which is far too often fatal.”
He added, “That’s why our country is standing up once again and shouting, ‘ENOUGH!’ to bring about active change.”
Source: Television - nytimes.com
