The Todd Phillips-directed film uses Glitter’s 1972 stadium anthem “Rock and Roll Part II”to underscore one of the movie’s biggest scenes, in which Phoenix’s character dances down a large set of stairs.
Some online critics believe this means Glitter will be earning royalty money on the film’s DVD and soundtrack sales — in addition to what Warner Bros. paid initially for using the song.
PEOPLE has reached out to the studio for comment.
Niko Tavernise
Glitter is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2015 for one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of having sex with a girl under the age of 13.
The 75-year-old British glam rocker (né Paul Gadd), who had denied all charges, had a long history of sex offenses.
In November 1997, Gadd was arrested after child pornography was found on his laptop;he was sentenced to four months in prisonin 1999 and was listed as a sex offender in the United Kingdom.
One of the rape chargeswas dropped, though he did admit that an 11-year-old had slept in his bed. He was forced to give compensatory payments to the girls’ families.
Not long after, in March 2006, Gadd was tried on more charges of obscene acts, this time with two girls aged 10 and 11. Found guilty, he was imprisoned for three years. As part of his sentence, he wasdeported back to Britain from Vietnamupon his early release in August 2008.
Joker stirred up a fair amount of controversy before opening. In September, family members of those killed in the Aurora, Colorado mass shooting during a screening ofThe Dark Knight Risesin 2012 sent Warner Bros. a letter about their concerns.
“We are calling on you to be a part of the growing chorus of corporate leaders who understand that they have a social responsibility to keep us all safe,” the letter reportedly reads.
Phoenix has meanwhile defended the film.
“For most of us, you’re able to tell the difference between right and wrong,” he said at a press conference forJokerin September,according toIGN. “And those that aren’t are capable of interpreting anything in the way that they may want to. People misinterpret lyrics from songs. They misinterpret passages from books. So I don’t think it’s the responsibility of a filmmaker to teach the audience morality or the difference between right or wrong. I mean, to me, I think that that’s obvious.”
Jokeris now playing in theaters.
source: people.com
