Director Olivia Wilde Responds After An Airline Censored Booksmart To Remove A Lesbian Sex Scene

'What makes it too obscene for airplane viewing?’

olivia wilde booksmart

by Bonnie McLaren |
Updated on

Olivia Wilde has expressed her disappointment about an unspecified airline's censorship of her feature film directorial debut, Booksmart. On Twitter, the director tweeted: ‘That’s a real bummer’ after someone complained about the cuts made to the coming-of-age comedy - which stars Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Diana Silvers and Billie Lourd.

The user tweeted, ‘Tried watching Booksmart on the plane and they cut the ENTIRE lesbian hookup scene like not even a KISS was allowed! Oh but don’t worry guys, the straights got their kiss.' Wilde responded by asking, ‘That’s a real bummer. There is no nudity in this scene. What makes it too obscene for airplane viewing? What airline?'

Wilde went on to comment at the Academy's Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday that she didn’t understand the decision about the sex scene which stars Kaitlyn Dever and Diana Silvers.

'There's censorship, airline to airline, of films, which there must be some kind of governing board to determine,’ she said, speaking to Variety. 'We rate it a certain way. If it's not X-rated, surely it's acceptable on an airplane.'

‘There's insane violence of bodies being smashed in half and yet a love scene between two women is censored from the film,' she added. 'It's such an integral part of this character's journey. I don't understand it. My heart just broke.'

However, the filmmaker added that she's 'trying to get to the bottom of' the issue, as she wants 'people to experience the entire film.'

Also speaking at the event, Feldstein{ =nofollow}, who stars in the film, added, ‘Our movie is a beautiful representation of the queer experience as young people. I'm a queer person. So we're getting to the bottom of it, don't worry.'

READ MORE: As How To Build A Girl Premieres, Beanie Feldstein Reveals The Lengths She Went To To Learn A Wolverhampton Accent

Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us