This website collects cookies to deliver better user experience. Cookie Policy
Accept
Sign In
The Wall Street Publication
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Reading: Stephen Chbosky, ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ director: Movie takes aim at cancel culture
Share
The Wall Street PublicationThe Wall Street Publication
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Home
  • Trending
  • U.S
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Markets
    • Personal Finance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Style
    • Arts
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.
The Wall Street Publication > Blog > Entertainment > Stephen Chbosky, ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ director: Movie takes aim at cancel culture
Entertainment

Stephen Chbosky, ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ director: Movie takes aim at cancel culture

Editorial Board Published September 24, 2021
Share
Stephen Chbosky, ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ director: Movie takes aim at cancel culture
SHARE

Director Stephen Chbosky says his new film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” opening Friday, offers a critique of social media’s cancel culture.

“I don’t remember a time of less tolerance in my life,” Mr. Chbosky told The Washington Times. “Because young people are under so much pressure to be perfect and say the right things all the time, I think it’s important for us to say that it’s unsustainable and it’s not fair. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

The Pittsburgh native, 51, said growing up without the internet gave him the luxury of learning from his mistakes as he wrestled between his public face and private self to grow into his own identity.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like [today], and I feel a great deal of sympathy for kids whose mistakes often have a permanent record on video and audio. Hopefully, we’re all evolving through our whole lives,” he said.

Mr. Chbosky’s film version of the coming-of-age teen drama has Ben Platt reprising his Tony Award-winning stage role as the isolated Evan, an anxious teenager whose therapist tells him to write letters to himself as a self-help exercise.

The exercise spins out of control when Evan fabricates a friendship with a fellow student whose suicide becomes a cause celebre at his school, bringing Evan long-sought-after popularity. But, unable to live with the lie, Evan confronts the cancel culture when he posts a vulnerable online video confession about suicide.

“That was one of the themes that attracted me the most about the original Broadway show. We actually added that confession scene because, we felt with film, we had a chance to talk about the other side of it,” Mr. Chbosky said.

The director said he felt drawn to export the Broadway musical beyond traveling theater shows because its message of hope seemed to resonate with young people and their families.

“We celebrate people whose online celebrity gets overblown and then their fall from grace gets overblown,” Mr. Chbosky said. “I think the pressure put on this generation, and the pressure this generation puts on itself to be perfect all the time, is cruel.”

Mr. Chbosky is no stranger to filming theatrical musicals and dramas. He wrote the screenplays for the 2005 film version of “Rent” and Disney’s 2017 live-action “Beauty and the Beast.” In addition, he directed 2017’s acclaimed “Wonder.”

“Much more importantly to me, when you talk about these issues directly in a successful and entertaining way, it provides a sense of comfort to millions of young people,” he said.

Early reviews of “Dear Evan Hansen” have been mixed, with some critics who screened it at Toronto calling it a bomb.

“The truth is, the knives being out feels very strange to me and it feels personal, not like criticism at all,” Mr. Chbosky said. “Maybe this is something akin to what you call ‘cancel culture.’ To me, I didn’t make the movie for critics, I made it for young people and their families who are desperately trying to understand and help them.”

He said advance screenings have been met by thunderous applause and tearful confessions, with people coming up to him afterward to say they had lost their loved ones to cancer.

“I don’t think the audience is here for the movie, no matter how many tickets are sold. I think the movie is here for the audience,” he said. “Not everyone has access to Broadway or a traveling company.”

Filming started last September in quarantined Atlanta with a couple of false positive COVID-19 tests that the director said really scared the cast and crew.

“We would film and go home. We didn’t see anybody. It led to a lot of anxiety and depression among people making the film,” he said.

Mr. Chbosky first achieved fame for his 1999 novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” which he adapted and directed for the screen.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters

TAGGED:EntertainmentWall Street Publication
Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Trapped Afghan Women Fear Retribution Under Taliban Rule Trapped Afghan Women Fear Retribution Under Taliban Rule
Next Article Bitcoin, Nike, Meredith, Carnival: What to Watch When the Stock Market Opens Today Bitcoin, Nike, Meredith, Carnival: What to Watch When the Stock Market Opens Today

Editor's Pick

I attempted Google’s new Search Dwell function and ended up debating an AI about books

I attempted Google’s new Search Dwell function and ended up debating an AI about books

Google’s new Search Dwell function lets customers maintain real-time voice conversations with an AI-powered model of Search The Gemini-powered AI…

By Editorial Board 6 Min Read
AI at Scale: Mohammed’s Revolutionary Architecture Behind the World’s Fastest Website Builder
AI at Scale: Mohammed’s Revolutionary Architecture Behind the World’s Fastest Website Builder

In an extraordinary technological breakthrough, Abdul Muqtadir Mohammed has fundamentally transformed how…

7 Min Read
Bobby Flay Pays Tribute to Anne Burrell: She was Unforgettable…
Bobby Flay Pays Tribute to Anne Burrell: She was Unforgettable…

Studying Time: 3 minutes Bobby Flay is the newest movie star to…

5 Min Read

Oponion

250th American Revolution anniversary begs query: Who fired the primary shot?

250th American Revolution anniversary begs query: Who fired the primary shot?

Because the nation marks 250 years for the reason that…

April 20, 2025

Home Builders Might Be a Home Run Once Supply Woes Ease

If only lumber had been all…

September 24, 2021

CNN Restricts Access to Facebook Pages in Australia

CNN said it has restricted access…

September 28, 2021

12 Of The Greatest Hair Putty Choices to Get You Via 2024 | Fashion

Lately, males’s hairstyles are available in…

September 17, 2024

Russia’s Yandex Sells Assets as Kremlin Tightens Grip on Internet

Yandex NV, which runs Russia’s largest…

August 23, 2022

You Might Also Like

Bunnie Xo Pregnant? HUGE Replace in IVF Journey with Jelly Roll
Entertainment

Bunnie Xo Pregnant? HUGE Replace in IVF Journey with Jelly Roll

Studying Time: 3 minutes Is Bunnie Xo pregnant? In a current and heartwarming publish, she up to date followers on…

3 Min Read
Hailey Bieber Flaunts Wedding ceremony Ring Amid Infinite Divorce Chatter
Entertainment

Hailey Bieber Flaunts Wedding ceremony Ring Amid Infinite Divorce Chatter

Studying Time: 3 minutes Forgive the way-too-obvious pun right here, however: Hailey Bieber has a message for the non-Beliebers. In…

5 Min Read
Gwen Stefani Pregnant: ‘Miracle’ Child With Blake Shelton Occurring?
Entertainment

Gwen Stefani Pregnant: ‘Miracle’ Child With Blake Shelton Occurring?

Studying Time: 4 minutes First got here love, then got here marriage, however a pregnant Gwen Stefani? Is that basically…

8 Min Read
Machine Gun Kelly: ‘I am a Cheerleader’ for My Daughter!
Entertainment

Machine Gun Kelly: ‘I am a Cheerleader’ for My Daughter!

Studying Time: 3 minutes Machine Gun Kelly is his daughter’s greatest hype man. Earlier this month, MGK and Megan Fox…

4 Min Read
The Wall Street Publication

About Us

The Wall Street Publication, a distinguished part of the Enspirers News Group, stands as a beacon of excellence in journalism. Committed to delivering unfiltered global news, we pride ourselves on our trusted coverage of Politics, Business, Technology, and more.

Company

  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement

Contact

  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability

Term of Use

  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices

© 2024 The Wall Street Publication. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?