Win Bulter Responds To Arcade Fire's 'We Exist' Video Criticism

As previously reported, Arcade Fire released a music video earlier this month for their Reflektor track "We Exist," featuring Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) dressed in drag.

Some were critical of the band's casting choice, including Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace. She took to Twitter claiming the video played on transgender stereotypes and that a trans actor should've been cast instead of Garfield.

As The Guardian notes, Arcade Fire have indicated that there has been a misunderstanding because they meant for the video to be interpreted more broadly than a statement on transgender rights alone.

The band retweeted a post by musician Our Lady J, who coached Garfield on his role. "Andrew & I saw the character as a young man who is exploring his gender, not [as] a realized trans woman," she wrote.

Win Butler has also stated in the past that the lyrics were inspired by a conversation with gay, rather than trans, teens while in Jamaica. Butler told the Advocate.

"For a gay kid in Jamaica to see the actor who played Spider-Man in that role is pretty damn powerful, in my opinion," he said. However, he admitted that he could "totally see the sensitivity of the issue."

The video's director, David Wilson, told the Advocate that he had considered casting a trans person for the video but went with Garfield because of his passion for the project.

"Before I got on the call, I thought, Is this the right person — should we be using a transgender person?" Wilson said. "But then getting on the phone with Andrew, and Andrew's commitment and passion toward the project was just overwhelming. For an actor of that caliber to be that emotionally invested in a music video is just a very special thing. It just completely made sense."

By the end of the weekend, however, Grace changed her mind about the video, tweeting: "Just got done talking w/ @ourladyj about her involvement in the @arcadefire video. Her perspective made me think about it differently."

What do you think? Do you agree with the band's casting choice? Let us know in the comments section below!

Tags

Arcade Fire, Win Butler, Laura Jane Grace