Booksmart actor Kaitlyn Dever has responded to recent reports that some airlines censored a lesbian sex scene in the film, calling the move “ridiculous”.
Earlier this week, passengers of airlines including Delta, Emirates and Etihad Airways took to social media to claim a sex scene between Dever and Diana Silvers’s characters had been cut down and, in some cases, entirely removed.
“It’s ridiculous,” Dever told Variety, on hearing about the censorship for the first time. “I don’t even know what to say to that. That makes me so mad.”
Dever’s co-star Beanie Feldstein, meanwhile, promised to get “to the bottom” of the issue.
“We’re on the case to get this rectified,” she said. “Our movie is a beautiful representation of the queer experience as young people. I’m a queer person. So we’re getting to the bottom of it, don’t worry. If you can watch me and Skyler [Gisondo] kiss, you can watch Diana and Kaitlyn kiss.”
Director Olivia Wilde, who had previously criticised the airlines on Twitter, added: “There’s insane violence of bodies being smashed in half and yet a love scene between two women is censored from the film. It’s such an integral part of this character’s journey. I don’t understand it. My heart just broke. I’m trying to get to the bottom of it; I want people to experience the entire film.”
Booksmart, which stars Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein, was released to acclaim earlier this year.
