Actor Amandla Stenberg covers the August 2022 issue of The Cut, styled by Roberto Johnson. Lea Winkler [IG] photographed Stenberg, who spoke with Hunter Schafer about ‘Bodies, Bodies, Bodies’, the new ‘satirical slasher’ movie out the first week in August.

The film centers on a group of privileged Gen Z types behaving on a sliding scale of terribleness. Pete Davidson plays the young man David, with a remote mansion in the family. The cast of ‘Bodies, Bodies, Bodies’ converges at David’s place for a “hurricane party” in advance of really bad weather.

As Mother Nature bears down on the 20-somethings, the group launches into a party game where a player selected as the ‘murderer’ must tag and ‘kill’ a victim. The group must find the ‘killer’, a quest that becomes morbidly serious when a real dead body joins the party.

The ambiguity of so-called true-friends relationships becomes apparent as trust and order break down among the people no longer sure who is a real friend and who is fake.

The interview between Stenberg and Shafer makes evident cover star’s disorientation over the arguments being made about the ‘Body, Body, Body’ characters on social media. In a new and separate controversy that erupted this week, precipitated by Stenberg’s reaction to a film critique, the narrative about the film has become almost more important than the film itself.

Stenberg’s Views On Cancel Culture of Film Characters

In her interview Stenberg speaks to the reality that cancel culture is now taking on fictional characters, arguing that certain characters in the movie shouldn’t even exist — or be rewritten to avoid their most offensive characteristics.

“I actually feel that is detrimental to what film is supposed to be about, which is putting terrible people on screens and laughing at them sometimes when necessary. That’s a very healthy way for us to expel our demons,” Stenberg shares with Schafer.

“If we can take our demons and splash them across the silver screen and take a good look at them, maybe we can be more aware of them, and maybe we can laugh while we do it, and then the ego death comes a little easier.”

Lefties Cancel Too

AOC agrees that cancelling characters in books and films is as bad as book banning by Republicans. But then we’ve covered this issue now for a decade. Progressives are brain-dead on the subject of their own tendencies to embrace and impose censorship on authors and other creatives, speakers, famous art — and yes, Confederate monuments.

The far left says EXACTLY the same words as MAGA moms cancelling books in schools. If anyone feels any discomfort over a book, painting, classroom subject, it should be cancelled.

While AOC does vociferously support taking down Confederate monuments towering over people’s daily lives in America, we don’t support rewriting Moby Dick. In fact, we support as little censorship as possible — and progressives should understand their own hypocrisy on this subject.

Amanda Stenberg Responds to Lena Wilson

This week the game of wits between actor Amandla Stenberg and New York Times writer Lena Wilson has our attention, primarily because there is a power dynamic in play.

New York Times writer Lena Wilson said that while the film ‘Bodies, Bodies, Bodies’ — which boasts 89% on Rotten Tomatoes — is not “bad,” it’s certainly “not special.” The critics’ rating remains 88% on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score of 72%.

Had Wilson stopped there, Stenberg would have kept her fingers quiet. The critic did not, going on full blast instead.

Wilson continued writing: “The only thing that really sets ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ apart is its place in the A24 hype machine, where it doubles as a 95-minute advertisement for cleavage and Charli XCX’s latest single.”

Like zillions of men in every country in the world, Wilson went for T&A. Five decades into the third wave of American feminism, Wilson went for Stenberg’s boobs, sending the zinger from her protected perch of the NYT.

The Clapback

No comments are allowed with NYT film critics, prompting Stenberg to not only DM Wilson, but to make it public. Now that’s a gutsy move.

“Maybe if you had gotten ur eyes off my t-ts you could’ve watched the movie,” Stenberg’s DM read.

Stenberg said she messaged Wilson because she was fed up about being objectified over her chest.

“It’s quite surprising the amount of commentary I receive on my boobs,” Stenberg said, then adding “ I do get tired of people talking about my chest. There seems to be a lot of unwarranted conversation about my chest.”

And then — dancing and prancing in a very public verbal boxing match — Stenberg was smoother than a morning protein shake.

“I do not wish you any harm. You are allowed to have your criticism on my work and I’m allowed to have my criticisms of your work. I wish you the best,” she added to Wilson.

Stenberg said she initially posted the screenshot exposing the critic’s’ message because she didn’t want “this person who has more social power than me to think that it’s f–king okay to do something like this. And that’s all.”

There’s no doubt that Wilson operates with the power of the pen, as a film critic for the New York Times. Apparently Wilson called Stenberg ‘homophobic’, based on Stenberg’s summary of the word-volley.

“I thought it was hilarious. I thought because Lena is gay, and I am also gay…as gay people, we would both find this comment funny. I was also curious to know what Lena would say to such a statement. Lena decided to publish it and also says that I am homophobic for saying that.”

AOC doesn’t typically wade into these waters but Stenberg’s sparring reminded me of Muhammad Ali’s advice about life in general — way beyond boxing: