Sometimes it's possible to embark on a new project with the best intentions and still end up hurting people.
When Arcade Fire and director David Wilson sat down to work on a video for 'We Exist', they decided to pay tribute to the transgender community.
Opting to use 'The Amazing Spiderman' actor Andrew Garfield in the lead role instead of an actual trans-gender, the Canadian band stumbled into an unexpected furore.
Against Me! singer Laura Jane Grace hit out at the band, forcing Arcade Fire to respond. Speaking to The Advocate, Arcade Fire's Win Butler explained that he believed Garfield's star status helped to bring renewed attention to the issue.
"Once something gets on the Internet, it works its way into people's lives in a way that I think is pretty powerful," he said. "For a gay kid in Jamaica to see the actor who played Spider-Man in that role is pretty damn powerful, in my opinion."
However Win Butler also admitted that he could "totally see the sensitivity of the issue." Continuing, the songwriter said: "there was just so much thought and love that went into the video I don't personally see it as negative."
Meanwhile, 'We Exist' director David Wilson commented: "Before I got on the call, I thought, Is this the right person — should we be using a transgender person? But then getting on the phone with Andrew, and Andrew's commitment and passion toward the project was just overwhelming. For an actor of that caliber to be that emotionally invested in a music video is just a very special thing. It just completely made sense."
Check out the video for 'We Exist' below.
