10 Hated Movie Scenes Directors REGRET Not Cutting
2. Spike Lee Wishes He Could Erase The Rape Scene In She's Gotta Have It
Spike Lee's first feature-length film, She's Gotta Have It, shot the writer/director to superstardom. The black-and-white comedy-drama was released in 1986, and it clearly made an impact because Lee was able to adapt the movie into a series for Netflix in 2017.
While the movie was an early example of Lee's genius, it's not without fault. In particular, one scene has received a great deal of negative attention over the years, and it's one the director wishes he never filmed. The scene in question was a rape scene towards the end of the movie.
Lee, who rarely admits fault with his work, spoke to Deadline in 2014, when he mentioned his regret over the scene:
"I don’t really have any regrets. Check that. You know what my biggest regret is? The rape scene in She’s Gotta Have It. If I was able to have any do-overs, that would be it. It was just totally…stupid. I was immature. It made light of rape, and that’s the one thing I would take back. I was immature, and I hate that I did not view rape as the vile act that it is. I can promise you, there will be nothing like that in She’s Gotta Have It, the TV show, that’s for sure."
True to his word, Lee has removed the scene altogether from the Netflix series. Instead, a potentially violent sexual confrontation ends with the character escaping and later dealing with the aftermath of the intended assault.