'Matilda' actress took a shot at Philly; Philly (predictably) shot back
Mara Wilson, the cute little kid who played Matilda in the 1996 movie of the same name, has grown up and apparently has some thoughts about Philadelphia.
Has anyone told Philly people they don't HAVE to be assholes
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) November 21, 2016
Wow. She wasn't using that kind of language back then.
She was also in Mrs. Doubtfire and the Miracle on 34th Street remake, the one with Richard Attenborough as Santa. She isn't acting any more, but has a successful second career writing. Her autobiography, Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame hit the shelves in September.
She is also, according to my much hipper colleague Aubrey Whelan, a bit of a Twitter darling.
Wilson expressed distaste for the denizens of Philadelphia about noon Monday, and the City of Brotherly Love wasted no time in responding. Wilson, who apparently has a penchant for taking cracks at America's cities, was taken aback.
I've made fun of LA, NYC, Boston, and Chicago and never seen any response like this.
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) November 21, 2016
The backlash was vociferous and, not surprisingly, frequently profane. Here are a few of the tamer comments.
@MaraWilson who knew Matilda would grow up to suck so much
— PJ B. Hunting (@PJbleedsgreen) November 21, 2016
It goes on like that. Funnier than the rage, though, were the less rage-filled categories of responses.
1) Sympathizers: Wow. A lot of people really have not enjoyed Philadelphia.
@MaraWilson On my first and last trip to Philly, I saw all the businesses wrapped in razor wire and someone got shot outside out hotel...
— Brian Maddox (@briangmaddox) November 21, 2016
2) Collaborators: There are some turncoats in this city, folks.
@MaraWilson We really can be assholes sometimes. Seems we're not that different from you after all sweetheart! People in glass houses!
— Cogs (@BobbyCogs67) November 21, 2016
3) Sociologists: There were some fantastic attempts to engage with Wilson's comments and come to a better understanding of a city of 1.5 million (in 140 characters or less).
@MaraWilson I've always chalked it up to things breaking down as they tend to do. Mass transit strikes, ice storms, downtown construction
— Karie Senkow (@KarieSenkow) November 21, 2016
Wilson did some comparing between Philly and New York, and opined that New Yorkers have a lot more to be angry about than Philadelphians. She also attempted to mollify Philly's angry social media horde.
Anyway, I do actually like Philadelphia, it just does not like me back.
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) November 21, 2016
As often happens when people bash Philadelphia, the situation devolved into hours of Twitter outrage, and back-and-forth battles of "who's trolling whom," and "who started it."
For what it's worth, in a 2015 interview with Philly.com Wilson had nothing but nice things to say about the city.
"I love visiting Philly," she said then, "I always have a great time."
I wanted to ask Wilson when she last visited the City of Brotherly Love and what gave her such a bad impression. But alas, she replied to a request for an interview with...
@jasmlaughlin No thanks
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) November 21, 2016
For the sake of this city's precarious reputation, I was careful to respond politely.
@MaraWilson all good. Thanks for the reply
— Jason Laughlin (@jasmlaughlin) November 21, 2016
