Ghostbusters: Afterlife star Carrie Coon weighed in on the movie’s unintended commentary on skepticism towards science in the COVID-19 era.
Coon stars in Afterlife as Callie Spengler, the grown daughter of Ghostbusters co-founder Egon Spengler. As The Hollywood Reporter noted during its interview with Coon, Callie’s arc in the film begins with her resenting science because it led to her being estranged from her late father. Naturally, that changes over the course of the story, allowing the movie to act as a celebration of science — one that has taken on a newfound sense of relevancy since shooting wrapped on Afterlife in October 2019.
“Well, I’m sad that it’s this relevant. I wish it wasn’t so,” said Coon. “I wish that we didn’t have to write a love letter to science and that people would believe in it. (Laughs.) It’s science! So it’s put us in a bit of a predicament in the world. Yeah, it’s depressing to me that it’s necessary, but that’s the power of art. We get to uphold the things that are important to us, and artists are the historians. So I’m glad that I’m participating in a story that is positive about something that’s become inexplicably problematic in the time that we’re living. (Sighs.)”
The Leftovers alum went on discuss the other positive messages in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. “I’m also glad because it’s about a young girl [Mckenna Grace’s Phoebe Spengler] who’s interested in science. We’ve discovered in the last several years just how much misogyny still exists in that world, even in the publishing of scientific journals and things. So we’ve got a lot of work to do in that arena. But I’m glad that Mckenna is the hero of the story, and [director] Jason [Reitman] has done it in such an intelligent way.”
CBR‘s Brandon Zachary reviewed Ghostbusters: Afterlife, describing the film as a would-be great legacy sequel that’s hindered by a bloated plot and excessive fan service. “There’s a strong 90-minute family-oriented adventure story hidden somewhere in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. But a liberal amount of elements meant only to appease fans of the original hinder an otherwise fun and almost poignant return for the franchise,” wrote Zachary.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife opens in theaters on Nov. 19.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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