Ray Fisher has opened up about the story behind Cyborg's "Booyah" line in the Justice League theatrical cut. The now infamous 2017 film has made headlines over the last year due to the release of the Snyder Cut, as well as claims made by Fisher about Joss Whedon, who stepped in to complete the original movie after Zack Snyder departed. In the summer of 2020, the actor surprised many by accusing Whedon of "gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" behavior toward the Justice League cast and crew. At the time, he also stated Whedon "was enabled, in many ways" by DC Entertainment's then-President and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and producer Jon Berg. Since then, Fisher's continued to speak out vocally against Whedon and WarnerMedia's subsequent investigation of what happened during the Justice League production.
At one point during the theatrical cut of Justice League, Fisher's Cyborg says "Booyah," which has become the character's catchphrase in the Teen Titans animated series. The line is absent in the Snyder Cut, which is indicative of the director's more somber approach to the film. Soon after Fisher's initial claims about Whedon's behavior on set, Berg denied enabling "any unprofessional behavior" and also stated Fisher was "upset" about saying Cyborg's catchphrase in Justice League.
In a wide-ranging interview with THR, Fisher now sheds some light on what happened behind-the-scenes before he said the line. The actor explains Johns wanted Cyborg to say "Booyah" in Justice League from the start, but Snyder opted to use it in a more subtle way on signs seen in the movie. Fisher says it wasn't the word on its own he had a problem with, but rather the fact "It seemed weird to have the only Black character say that," pointing to the many well-known Black characters who have catchphrases of their own.
Fisher claims that, after Whedon joined the Justice League production, both he and Berg brought up the catchphrase again, with, according to Fisher, Berg saying "This is one of the most expensive movies Warners has ever made. What if the CEO of AT&T has a son or daughter, and that son or daughter wants Cyborg to say 'booyah' in the movie and we don't have a take of that? I could lose my job." Though Fisher did not believe the stakes to be that high, he filmed the line and says Whedon used a mocking tone before he began, quoting Hamlet, "Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you" and yelling "Nice work, Ray" as the actor departed the set.
Fisher's story is hard to hear, especially because it seems he had understandable concerns about why Cyborg shouldn't say "Booyah." Despite it being a small moment in the movie, the catchphrase clearly had wider implications for the actor. His claims about the conversation with Berg are particularly enlightening because, as Fisher indicates, it seems unlikely that many people cared about whether Cyborg uttered his catchphrase. It also sounds like Fisher's experience on set the day he shot the line did nothing to endear him to it. Ultimately, "Booyah"'s absence in the Snyder Cut shows it hardly makes or breaks the film, likely making Fisher more confident in the concerns he raised during Justice League's tumultuous production.
Source: THR
