“Jane the Virgin” actor Greice Santo revealed that a scene featuring her and Looney Tunes character Pepé Le Pew has been cut from the upcoming Warner Bros. film, “Space Jam: A New Legacy.”
The film is a sequel to the 1996 film “Space Jam” which paired NBA legend Michael Jordan with Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters.
Santo and Le Pew were supposed to appear together in a black-and-white scene parodying “Casablanca” where she beats up the cartoon skunk for being sexually aggressive.
Le Pew has come under fire recently for being seen by some as the epitome of rape culture. The French skunk was known for being overly aggressive in his pursuit of a black cat known as Penelope Pussycat. Le Pew would kiss the cat’s arms and hold her in a deep embrace, even when they protested.
Every time a female fought back against Le Pew, he’d misinterpret it as a sign of interest. Simply put, “no” never meant “no” to Le Pew. In a 2021 column for The New York Times, Charles M. Blow wrote that Le Pew “normalized rape culture.”
While some will say that cutting Le Pew from the “Space Jam” sequel makes the character another victim of today’s intolerant “cancel culture,” criticism of the skunk isn’t a new thing. Comedian Dave Chappelle realized that Le Pew was a terrible example for kids back in 2000, when he made fun of the skunk in his “Killin’ Them Softly’ standup special.
Warning: Strong language.
“Some wild shit! Like, I was with my nephew, sitting there watching Pepé Le Pew, and I said, ‘Now, pay attention to this guy because he’s funny. I used to watch him when I was little,” Chapelle says in the bit. “And we’re watching gPepé Le Pew, and… Good god, what kind of fucking rapist is this guy? Take it easy, Pepe!’” In the bit, Chapelle’s nephew responds to Le Pew by taking a terrible lesson from the skunk — sometimes you just have to “take” what you want from women. That’s the exact reason many of today’s parents don’t want him in their children’s movies.
