Sebastian Stan spoke out against a reporter who used an offensive term to describe his co-star who has facial disfigurement.
At the Berlin Film Festival in February, a journalist asked the cast of “A Different Man” at a press conference, “What do you think happens after the transformation from this so-called beast, as they call him, to this perfect man?”
Adam Pearson, one of Stan’s co-stars, has neurofibromatosis in both the movie and in real life.
The genetic disorder causes tumors to grow in the nervous system and skin.
Stan, 42, stood up for Pearson, 39, and politely pushed back on the reporter’s use of the term “beast.”
“I have to call you out a little bit on the choice of words there,” the “Pam & Tommy” star said.
“I think part of why the film is important is because we often don’t have maybe even the right vocabulary,” Stan went on. “I mean, I think it’s a little more complex than that. And obviously there’s language barriers and so on and so forth.”
“But you know, beast isn’t the word, I think,” he added.
In “A Different Man,” Stan plays Edward, who, after undergoing facial surgery, becomes fixated on Oswald (Pearson), an actor playing him in a stage production based on his former life.
Stan wore heavy prosthetics to portray his character having neurofibromatosis in the first half of the film.
The interview from Berlin resurfaced on social media this week as Stan and the rest of the cast promote the A24 movie for its theatrical release in the US on Sept. 20.
In an interview with Variety published Wednesday, Stan talked about his experience transforming into the role with the help of Oscar-nominated prosthetics artist Mike Marino.
“Even though I wasn’t shooting until 11 a.m., I would go at like 5 in the morning to his studio, or his apartment,” said Stan, who shot the movie in New York City.
“I wanted to walk around the city and see what happened. On Broadway, one of the busiest streets in New York, no one’s looking at me. It’s as if I’m not even there,” he shared, before revealing an unpleasant reaction he got.
“Somebody would immediately stop and very blatantly hit their friend, point, take a picture,” he said.
Stan also revealed he spoke to Pearson’s mother to prepare for the film.
“She said to me, ‘All I ever wanted was for someone to walk in his shoes for a day,’” he told Variety. “And I guess that was the closest I had ever come.”
Pearson, who was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at age 5, and started experiencing facial disfigurement at age 8, told People this week how he confronts people seeing his face for the first time.
“You go in and go for it,” he shared. “Like, ‘Hi, my name’s Adam. I’m new here. We’re going to be friends.’”
Stan said in the same interview, “Adam is a truth-teller and he’s incredibly honest. We clicked right away. He was kind in being open with me about his childhood and what he encountered in his life. All of it was vital towards me being able to construct a past for my character.”
“A Different Man” is in theaters Friday.
