Sterling K. Brown Breaks Silence on ‘The Predator’ Sex Offender Controversy

Sterling K. Brown has commented on the ongoing controversy surrounding The Predator after co-star Olivia Munn said outing a convicted sex offender who worked on the film left her feeling isolated and lacking support from her silent co-stars.

“I’m sorry you’re feeling so isolated, my dear,” Brown wrote in a series of tweets, tagging Munn’s account, in response to a story by The Hollywood Reporter where Munn said, “I’m sitting here by myself when I should be with the rest of the cast.”

“And I’m sorry you’ve been the only one to speak up publicly. I was not at [the Toronto International Film Festival] so I didn’t have an opportunity to be there with you.”

Brown mused “what is and is not forgivable,” citing the criminal history of Steven Striegel, who plead guilty in 2010 to allegations he attempted to lure a 14-year-old girl into a sexual relationship online.

“That’s gonna vary from individual to individual. You and [writer-director Shane Black] may differ when it comes to that issue,” Brown wrote, acknowledging he lacks the full details surrounding Striegel, Black’s friend of 14 years.

“With regards to forgiveness, I leave that to the individual. What I take issue with,” Brown added, “& I believe Shane addressed this in his apology, is that we all have the right to know who we’re working with! And when someone has been convicted of a crime of a sexual nature involving a child, we have the right to say that’s not okay!”

Brown noted neither studio 20th Century Fox or the cast were “given that opportunity,” with Striegel’s past going undiscovered until Munn alerted Fox of his crimes, pushing the studio to remove the now-deleted scene that sees Striegel’s character, a jogger, repeatedly hit on the disinterested character played by Munn.

“Especially [Munn], who was the only member of the principal cast who had to work with him. I so appreciate that you ‘didn’t leave well enough alone,’” Brown added, “& again, I’m sorry you feel isolated in taking action.”

The actor ended his statement by thanking Fox for “taking quick action” in excising the scene and Munn, telling her, “I hope you don’t feel quite so alone. You did the right thing.”

Munn told Vanity Fair she took issue with her co-stars remaining tight-lipped on the controversy, saying she was “confused” upon seeing co-stars Keegan-Michael Key, Trevante Rhodes, and Boyd Holbrook giving Black a standing ovation during the film’s premiere Thursday.

“I looked back and I see the guys standing up, and I was just confused, because I hadn’t heard from them during the day. Everybody else was sitting down — it wasn’t like this massive standing ovation for him,” Munn said.

“I felt it was still appropriate to clap and cheer, but to actually make that gesture to stand up, especially in this moment… and privately I knew that no one reached out to me to say, ‘Are you O.K.?’ It did feel bad.”

“Many” of Munn’s co-stars backed out of scheduled interviews where they were set to appear with Munn, according to Vanity Fair, while one unnamed actor walked out of an interview when asked about the removed scene.

She added her lack of support left her feeling “like the bad guy,” saying of the “crazy” ordeal, “It’s like I stumbled upon something and now I’m being chased by everyone and isolated.”

After coming under fire on social media for initial comments made to the Los Angeles Times, Black issued a new statement, apologizing to everyone he “let down by having Steve around them without giving them a voice in the decision.”