Director Shane Black's upcoming film The Predator has recently been in the headlines for featuring a registered sex offender in one of its scenes. The scene in question involves a character played by actor Steven Wilder Striegel flirting with actress Olivia Munn's character. Strigel has been charged with two felonies: risk of injury to a child and enticing a minor by computer. It is alleged that the now 47-year-old actor sought to coax a 14-year-old female into having a relationship with him over the internet. Reports claim that it was actually Munn who brought the problematic nature of Striegel's past offenses to the attention of Fox which ultimately lead to their decision to delete the scene.
In speaking to the LA Times, Munn reported Black's omission of Striegel's past as “both surprising and unsettling,” but applauds Fox's swift action: “ I am relieved that when Fox finally did receive the information, the studio took appropriate action by deleting the scene featuring Wilder prior to release of the film.”
In the past, Black has come under fire for hiring Streigel for films such as Iron Man, and The Nice Guys despite his criminal record. In defense of his actions, Black informed the LA Times: “I personally chose to help a friend. I can understand others might disapprove, as his conviction was on a sensitive charge and not to be taken lightly.”
This recent revelation begs the question of whether the recent strides that Hollywood has been taking to create safe environments have been effective enough.
