Michelle Yeoh 'horrified' over 'Guardians of the Galaxy' firing: 'Let's support James Gunn' (exclusive)

Michelle Yeoh has joined the chorus of Guardians of the Galaxy stars condemning Disney’s decision to fire James Gunn.

During an interview for new movie Crazy Rich Asians, the actress said that she couldn’t believe the director was sacked over inappropriate jokes he had tweeted over a decade earlier.

“I was shocked, horrified that we can allow something like that to happen,” Yeoh told Yahoo Movies UK.

“You’re talking about things that he said in the archives. If he had said it yesterday, or today, or something like this then you can make a big fuss but why dig up something now?

“I don’t understand at all. It’s so unnecessary, what good does it do?”

The tweets in question were dug up and shared by alt-right commentators who led an online backlash against Gunn, urging Disney to stop him from making any more Guardians films.

Despite the fact that the director had acknowledged the tweets in interviews years earlier, and apologised for their inappropriate content, the studio still decided to cut ties.

‘The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values and we have severed our business relationship with him,” said the Disney statement issued at the time and since then the studio has put production on the third film on ‘indefinite hold’.

The Guardians of the Galaxy cast released an open letter in support of Gunn, with Dave Bautista – who plays Drax the Destroyer in the MCU – going several steps by not only comparing Disney to the controversial Trump administration but also suggesting he may not work for the company anymore.

Michelle, who played Aleta Ogord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, is backing her director too.

“Let’s support James Gunn,” she added. “he’s such an amazing, incredible filmmaker and human being.

“We will fight on. You can’t keep a good guy down, that’s what I believe.”

The future of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 now hangs in the balance, following Gunn’s sudden departure.

Crazy Rich Asians is out on Friday, 14 September.

READ MORE
Why Chloe Grace Moretz quit acting
John Cho on how Star Trek 4 will handle Anton Yelchin’s death
Idris Elba on needing more than white period dramas