Olivia Munn reportedly blew the whistle on Steven Wilder Striegel, a registered sex offender who director Shane Black hired for several small roles, including one in his upcoming film, The Predator. Striegel shared a short scene with Munn that has since been cut from the film after details about his 2010 case was unearthed.
But at least one person is questioning Munn's actions since she appeared on the red carpet for the film's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival after the news about Striegel broke out. "Why are you still doing press for the movie?" read a tweet in response to Munn saying her "silence will never be for sale."
But Munn, who reportedly didn't stop for questions on the TIFF's red carpet, had time for the tweeter.
"I’m contractually obligated," replied the actress. "And from what I’m experiencing, I think they’d prefer I not show up. It would make everyone breathe easier. Also, I worked really hard on this film, as did the rest of the cast and crew. Now that the scene is deleted I think audiences will love it."
This isn't the first time Munn spoke up about not being silent. After news of Striegel admitting to luring a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship over the internet, she posted a message about doing the right thing.
"My mom taught me to never be afraid to stand up and say 'Wait, that’s not okay.' Even if you find yourself standing alone, speak up," read her Instagram post. "Even if people get mad at you, speak up. It is not our job to stay silent so that others can stay comfortable. Use your voice to shape the world or others will continue to shape it for us."
Black, who hired Striegel (credited as Steve Wilder) for Iron Man 3, Swing State, The Nice Guys, and other films came out to say he didn't know the details of Striegel's case until this week.
"[I]t has sadly become clear to me that I was misled by a friend I really wanted to believe was telling me the truth when he described the circumstances of his conviction. I believe strongly in giving people second chances—but sometimes you discover that chance is not as warranted as you may have hoped," read an e-mail statement. "After learning more about the affidavit, transcripts and additional details surrounding Steve Striegel’s sentence, I am deeply disappointed in myself. I apologize to all of those, past and present, I’ve let down by having Steve around them without giving them a voice in the decision."
