'I am not anti-vaxx:' Emilio Estevez says leaving Disney+ show Mighty Ducks: Game Changers was result of a 'good old fashioned contract dispute' and opens up about his past battle with COVID-19
Emilio Estevez on Monday responded to a report that he left the Disney+ show Mighty Ducks: Game Changers due to vaccination rules, saying that he left due to 'a myriad of creative differences' in a thorough statement in which he spoke about his own past battle with COVID-19.
The 59-year-old actor said in a statement to Deadline that leaving prior to the show's season two was geared toward creative and business issues as opposed to 'an anti-vaccine position.'
Estevez, who has played the role of Gordon Bombay in the Mighty Ducks films and Disney+ show, wrote, 'I am not anti-vaxx. Full stop. I take this pandemic very seriously, and I am often teased about my continued following of the safety protocols and my abundance of caution.'
The latest: Emilio Estevez, 59, on Monday responded to a report that he left the Disney+ show Mighty Ducks: Game Changers due to vaccination rules, saying that he left due to 'a myriad of creative differences' in a thorough statement in which he spoke about his own past battle with COVID-19. He was snapped in NYC in 2019
He said that he wanted 'to address what transpired and clear up some falsehoods which appeared' in a November 5 Deadline story that linked his leaving to 'a mandatory vaccination policy.'
Estevez said that his exit from the series 'was nothing more than a good old fashioned contract dispute and not, as some would believe an anti-vaccine position.' (It was not immediately clear if actor has been vaccinated.)
He cited his 'own lived experience' in revealing that he began feeling ill around late February 2020 when shooting the pilot for The Mighty Ducks and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 the following month.
Estevez noted how in February, he 'drove to Vancouver for the pilot, due to news of 'an emerging disease,' which would eventually be known as "Covid 19."
The actor was seen in Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, which aired earlier this year
Estevez said that his exit from the series 'was nothing more than a good old fashioned contract dispute and not, as some would believe an anti-vaccine position;' pictured in 2019 in NYC
'My decision to drive there and back was to avoid mass crowds and international airports,' he said. 'I already started wearing face coverings, gloves and using hand sanitizer. I also genuinely love driving across and around America, as anyone who knows me can attest.'
Estevez said he became 'noticeably ill' when he was traveling back to Los Angeles and 'begged several doctors to be tested' until he received 'a car side Covid 19 PCR test on March 13, 2020.'
Estevez said that he 'continued to become increasingly sick, suffering from fever, sweats, brain fog and mood swings,' and he was informed on March 17, 2020 that he 'had indeed contracted Covid 19.'
He noted how he had 'refrained from visiting [his] elderly parents and others until [he] received [his] results,' and had learned more about the disease after 'discussions with doctors and contact tracing personnel from the L.A. County Department of Health.'
Estevez said that he dealt with Long Haul Syndrome throughout 'the summer and fall of 2020' and 'reluctantly soldiered on' when the series returned to production that August, 'but was uncertain about how [he] would be safe on set.'
The actor said he 'questioned the wisdom of returning to make a tv show in the middle of a pandemic and how actors could be considered "essential workers,"' while 'producers tried their best to assuage [his] fears of coming back to work.'
Estevez said that 'it was an honor and a thrill to be able to return as the iconic and beloved character, Gordon Bombay' in the return series
Estevez said he was informed on March 17, 2020 that he 'had indeed contracted Covid 19;' pictured in NYC in 2019
He said producers repeatedly told him he had 'natural immunity' and would 'be the safest one on set,' while his 'former reps' warned him 'about possible consequences and legal jeopardy ... for not reporting to work as ordered.'
Estevez said he went to film the show in Vancouver and 'followed the Canadian quarantine mandate as well as the strict 'Zone A' on set Covid protocols.'
He noted, 'I did not complain, nor did I release my diagnosis to the public. I wanted to try and preserve the show morale and be a leader, however, while still suffering from Long Haul Syndrome. The legacy of the franchise was more important to me than my own health.'
Estevez said that in hindsight, he 'wrongly chose to protect the show over being transparent about having contracted Covid-19' as he 'may have provided another public example to wit, how we are all vulnerable to this deadly disease.'
In regards to his exit, he said that 'the quoted "anonymous sources," producers and show runners all know the truth,' as he is 'anti-bully,' and his 'exit from the show was due to a myriad of creative differences,' adding that 'any other narrative is false.'
He wrapped up in saying that 'it was an honor and a thrill to be able to return as the iconic and beloved character, Gordon Bombay, a character which has been a celebrated benchmark in [his] 40 year career.'
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