Dear Reader:

You are viewing a story from GN Version 5.0. Time may not have been kind to formatting, integrity of links, images, information, etc.

Billy Mitchell still hasn't seen The King of Kong, accuses documentary creators of manufacturing moments

by rawmeatcowboy
19 June 2017
GN Version 5.0

Coming from a Kotaku interview with Billy Mitchell...

K: So, it’s been 10 years since The King of Kong. I’ve seen you say that you never watch anything you’re in. I’m just curious if you’ve still never watched The King of Kong.

BM: I have not watched King of Kong, I have not watched Chasing Ghosts. I mostly don’t watch anything that I’m in. I mostly don’t read anything [about myself] either. On a very regular basis, people that I know flip their lid because somebody says something negative. And they say I gotta see it. Click. Delete. Why do I have to see it? Why? I know it, I lived it, I was there, and without the creativity of Hollywood. It was far greater to live it and enjoy it.

When [King of Kong] first came out, I got some emails that were so vile, I wouldn’t read ‘em to anybody. As time went on, they’ve certainly come full circle and I get very little of that now. Most everything’s extremely positive.

I’ll tell you another thing. Not to make you feel special. I don’t do interviews. Sorry. I’m here with you now because, I don’t know, you called at the right time, and you were courteous, and I like Kotaku. They talk bad about me all the time. I get a lot of mileage out of them.

K: It sounds to me like what you’re saying is that while aspects of the movie may not be 100% literally what they appear to be, that the movie has an emotional truth to it.

BM: Correct. Do you really think that blond-haired, blue-eyed Steve Wiebe could play a bad guy? He’s a nice, mellow kinda guy, and that’s the way he is, and I think if you tried to ask him to do something that he doesn’t have in his personality, then it would have just looked foolish.

I’ve actually never, ever, ever, not once, ever had a negative encounter face to face. EV-ER. And I’ve had people say they’re gonna show up at a convention because they wanted to punch me. But then when they get there, after a little conversation, I guess they sort of catch themselves a little bit. I said to a guy, “Do you really think Charles Bronson makes a movie that they show in a theater, and when he’s all done he goes on the street and starts shooting people? Is that what you really think happens?” If you think about it, that’s the comparison.

[Link]