Two of the year’s most acclaimed films feature same-sex relationships between their protagonists. Booksmart and Rocketman have been commended for their positive, nuanced portrayal of these characters. So fans were disappointed to learn that romantic scenes in both films had been edited out of the versions shown on Delta flights. The airline scrambled to respond to the backlash — and says the cuts were unnecessary.
Though she did not name the airline specifically, Booksmart director Olivia Wilde tweeted her disappointment about the exclusion of scenes from her film on October 30 — and as to be expected, others on the social media platform weren’t pleased, either. Cast members of Booksmart also weighed in on Delta’s decision, expressing their dismay at the decision. In response, Delta promised that the edited footage would be added back in for viewers on their flights. A spokesperson for the airline said:
In the case of Booksmart, a scene was cut in which Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and her friend Hope (Dianna Silvers) start to have sex. Olivia Wilde noted that the edited version of the film also cut lines that referenced female genitalia, though dialogue that contained profanity was left in. A sex scene between Elton John (Taron Egerton) and John Reid (Richard Madden) was edited out of Rocketman. Delta’s statement also sought to clarify how the censored versions of the films were shown in the first place, saying:
Delta has not yet indicated when the restored versions of the films will be available on their flights. But they did make it clear that they will make it a priority to make sure that this issue will not happen again, saying:
Olivia Wilde seems to think so. She tweeted at the airline after their November 1 announcement, telling them, “Thank you.” Delta will reportedly work with the films’ studios directly to restore the scenes. Though questions still remain as to why the scenes were removed at all, it is refreshing to see the airline take responsibility, and move quickly to fix the error.