Why Is No One Talking About Mia Goth’s Disturbing ‘MaXXXine’ Lawsuit?
Everyone seems to have MaXXXine fever this summer, and that makes sense. After all, Ti West’s trilogy has gained a large fan base after X and Pearl rocked many horror fiends’ worlds. Even casual genre fans are invested in this upcoming third installment. The people are foaming at the mouth for this slasher that follows the adult entertainer, Maxine, as she tries to achieve her goals in 1980s Hollywood. This is also the A24 franchise that made a star out of Mia Goth. Her rather large fanbase might be part of why serious allegations she’s facing are not being taken seriously.
Goth’s performances in the previous two Ti West films, along with Infinity Pool, cemented her as a favorite new face in the horror genre, catapulting her into Scream Queen status. So, it was very surprising when earlier this year when the news broke that she was being sued for bullying and kicking a background actor in the head while filming MaXXXine.
According to Deadline, James Hunter sued Goth for injuries he suffered from her alleged cruel and violent actions. Hunter specifically cites Goth for battery and Goth, West, and A24 for wrongful termination. You can read the full complaint here. It sounds like he was not only physically abused on set, but verbally and emotionally belittled as well before being wrongfully dismissed. These are allegations that should be taken very seriously.
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Hunter alleges that his role as Dead Parishioner required him to lay on the ground covered in blood. During one scene, Mia Goth was supposed to step over him and run. However, Goth stepped on the actor during a take. Hunter complained to the second assistant director, and that’s when things got contentious.
Hunter claims that Goth then purposely kicked him in the head with her boot during a following take. According to Hunter, Goth then mocked and belittled him in the bathroom afterward. The next day Hunter was dismissed, even though he was supposed to have another two days of shooting, according again to Deadline.
This jarring behavior isn’t the first time Mia Goth has been in the news for disturbing reasons. After all, she recently remarried and had a child with, documented abuser Shia LaBeouf, who Goth met while working on Lars von Trier’s controversial Nymphomaniac. LaBeouf just made his red carpet return at the Cannes Film Festival alongside fellow predator James Franco. However, it’s worth noting that these are the first assault allegations being faced by Goth specifically.
While MaXXXine is admittedly one of the most anticipated movies of the year for most horror fans, and the cast is beyond stacked, it feels strange and unsettling that no one is talking about these assault allegations. After the initial flurry of tweets making light of the situation, it seems to have died down completely. So much so that even Mia Goth hasn’t felt the need to respond to the story.
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Goth has been making a name for herself in the genre space for years, appearing in films like Marrowbone, Suspiria (2018), and High Life. These cult roles may have helped fans to become eager to hear her side of the story before weighing in or passing judgment.
With that said, this story has pretty much disappeared these last few months, and that’s concerning. These allegations are extremely alarming, and the franchise housing the alleged assault remains very lucrative for A24. It makes us wonder if money and studio influence could also be part of why hardly anyone is talking about the lawsuit.
What I find most curious about this case is the silence. If someone accuses you of kicking and bullying them, wouldn’t you shout your innocence from the rooftop? At the time of writing this, there has been no response to this accusation from Mia Goth, Ti West, or A24. This feels strange as this story initially broke out back in January. That left plenty of time for any of the parties to either apologize for allowing it to happen, or for them to refute the story. While this alleged incident is upsetting, the silence around it is possibly more disturbing and makes me wonder what the legal teams are requesting from those involved.
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Sadly, many wealthy and powerful abusers never face consequences for their actions and are able to continue working. Since we don’t know the entire story yet, we can’t suggest skipping MaXXXine or to temper your excitment surrounding the conclusion of the first A24 horror franchise. But I am concerned that we as consumers so often disregard actions we find unpleasant about the media we love.
Turning a blind eye is why many abusers get to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival every year with their new movies. It’s exhausting, upsetting, and part of the reason why the horror community continues to be a less-than-safe space for so many of us.
Not holding your favorite people accountable is one of the traits of toxic fandom. The willingness to acknowledge the flaws of our favorites is what separates fans from stans and all of the derogatory idealogy that comes with that subculture. So, while we wait to see where this case goes, maybe hold off on calling Mia Goth ‘Mother’ and dismissing these extremely serious allegations.
MaXXXine is set to arrive in theaters on July 5. We’ll see if James Hunter’s concerns are mentioned during the press junkets for the film, or if all of the defendants will remain silent. After completing the Ti West trilogy, Mia Goth will next be seen in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein adaptation.
Categorized:Editorials
