Thursday afternoon’s The Cycle plugged the recently released “abortion rom-com” Obvious Child by interviewing the film's screenwriter and director Gillian Robespierre and lead actress Jenny Slate.
After the hosts spent a couple minutes praising the way in which the film portrayed a "positive, safe, shame-free abortion," co-host Krystal Ball took the liberty of asking the director if there was ever a point where she felt nervous for her “physical safety” citing the sometimes “violent” nature of anti-abortion activists.
Robespierre seemed rather uninterested in the idea that she was ever in danger of a “violent” reaction that may come from the Right. Instead she talked about how as a film maker you fear more about your movie actually being well done and liked to which Ball replied, “No worries. [You] [a]ccomplished both of those.”
As NewsBusters has pointed out in the past, Krystal Ball has made a habit out of going to great lengths to try and paint conservative as hateful, violent people and often insists on pressing her guests into shaming Republicans.
The relevant portion is transcribed below:
MSNBC
The Cycle
June 19, 2014
3:50 p.m. EasternKRYSTAL BALL: Were you in any way fearful of making this film? Anti-abortion protesters have been violent at times. What has the response been to this film from the right and were you at all nervous for your physical safety in making this?
GILLIAN ROBESPIERRE: First, film-making is really hard. Writing is hard and we were fearful of it not being a great story and the jokes not being funny.
BALL: No worries there. Accomplished both of those.
ROBESPIERRE: Thank you. We worked very hard on that. The conflict in this story wasn't going to be about the choice. It was going to be about other things in Donna's lives and the movie is not just an abortion film. We're following donna through many different stages of her life and –
BALL: You know how things can be caricatured.
ROBESPIERRE: Sure.
BALL: Even though the film is not just an abortion film because that piece is in it I was concerned that it would be caricatured and demonized by anti-abortion activists.
ROBESPIERRE: Well, um, I think if they do pay money to go see the film and actually watch it then they'll realize what the story is really about. I don’t think they’re going to have such a violent, guttural reaction.
