Until now, Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon he didn’t talk about or address any of the surrounding drama Justin Roiland, who was fired from the series and several other animated shows he was working on. Roiland found himself disgraced after allegations of abuse and harassment exploded on the Internet.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Harmon spoke about his legacy in Hollywood and his retirement goals. At a certain point in the interview, he is asked for information Rick and Morty‘s recent ordeal with Roiland, and Harmon said:
“It’s all just sad because the goal is for it to be indistinguishable, at the same time, it would be absurd to suddenly decide that the entire foundation of your creative project was, oh, lo and behold, unimportant.”
Harmon then began speaking specifically about Roiland, who was accused of using his power in Hollywood to interact with underage and/or vulnerable fans. He explained how trust between many people had been violated:
“The easiest thing for me to say about Justin was nothing. Easy because he isolated himself so well and easy because I’m nobody’s first choice as a judge of anything or anyone. This is where I’d like to change the subject to myself ., what rubbish I have been all my public life.
“I would feel so confident and comfortable if I did something like that on myself, but that trick is useless here and is dangerous to others. It’s the safety and comfort of others that is being harmed while I was obsessing over the quality of a cartoon animated. Trust has now been violated between countless people and a show designed to please them. I am frustrated, ashamed and heartbroken that so much hard work, joy and passion can be used to exploit and harm strangers.
Roiland’s abuse case was dismissed, but a lot of damage has already been done. Not just from that, but also from the experiences people have had working with him. Harmon went on to recall the last conversation he had with Roiland, saying:
“He said things he’d never said before about unhappiness, and I remember telling him the last time we spoke in person, like, ‘I’m worried about you, and I don’t know what to do about it except to give you all the information and even just telling you that I’m afraid you won’t come back.’ But then this conversation became unprecedentedly confrontational.
“I think that’s as far as I can go with the story. At that point, we’re both no longer there for it, and it starts to become not only unfair for me to continue, but also totally uncomfortable because, from there, a friendship he goes away, and I still don’t quite understand why.”
The trailer of Rick and Morty Season 7 was released recently and it seemed like fans were very excited about the future of the series. The creative team did their best to advertise it, and it looks like it will really live up to that hype.
Rick and Morty season 7 is currently scheduled to premiere on Adult Swim on Sunday, October 15 at 11pm ET/PT.
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
