Director Jonathan Levine has said he and collaborator Seth Rogen did not need the #MeToo movement to teach them respect in Hollywood.
Levine said the movement launched in the wake of accusations levelled against mogul Harvey Weinstein has encouraged the industry to be more thoughtful in its treatment of women.
But the director said that he and Rogen, who stars in his latest film Long Shot alongside Charlize Theron, have always been sensitive despite “bro-humour”.
Speaking at a special screening of Long Shot in London, Levine said of #MeToo: “I think that is something that people are thinking more and more about these days.
“When Seth and I first met and we first started working together, we both just demonstrated that we were sensitive, thoughtful people – so we didn’t need the Me Too movement to explain to us that we needed to respect all people.”
Wait ‘til you get a load of this. @SethRogen and @CharlizeAfrica star in #Longshot, in theaters May 3rd. pic.twitter.com/QgSqLJa6M5
— Long Shot (@LongShotMovie) April 24, 2019
Levine’s latest film features Theron in the role of a presidential candidate, and he said he is pleased to tell the story of a strong female character.
But the director is clear that his standards do not depend on the prominence of women in his work, and respect is given no matter the genre or humour.
He said: “On all the movies I’ve made, whether they have women as the lead character or not, we do try to be thoughtful.
“I think sometimes they get thrown into this category of bro-humour or whatever.
“Even though there is a little bit of that, we do try to be thoughtful and respectful of women all the time.”
Long Shot opens in UK cinemas on May 3.