Paul Walter Hauser Claps Back at Negative Reviews of 'Cruella'

Critics and fans of Disney’s new movie, Cruella, have a lot of opinions about the origin story about the 101 Dalmatians villain.

Starring Emma Stone in the title role, the movie centered on Cruella’s rise in the fashion world as she becomes frenemies with fashion legend Baroness von Hellman.

Paul Walter Hauser, who plays Horace in the movie, is speaking out about the negative reviews the movie is getting.

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Speaking with Insider, Paul says he’s puzzled by the reviews that are less than stellar.

“I just read that review, it was one of maybe six reviews I read, and [critic Richard Lawson] was kind of having fun being mean spirited, sort of doing his word play instead of dissecting the film,” Paul shared, speaking of the review shared by Vanity Fair magazine.

He added, “I just felt it was a cheap shot so I defended my movie. I think we made a great film, it may not be for everybody, but it does so many more things right than it does wrong.”

Paul went on, saying that many critics might be looking at the film the wrong way, too.

“If you feel you hated two things, but we did these five other things great, then you can’t tell people not to see the movie. That’s ridiculous. It’s like me telling you not to eat at a restaurant because I didn’t like the toilet paper in the bathroom and my waiter was unattractive. You would be like, ‘Um, how was the chicken?’ So that’s my whole take on film criticism.”

“People getting riled up that it’s an edgy and dark movie: No, it’s not. You’re not watching dogs getting made into coats,” Paul shared.

He calls it an “action-adventure-crime-comedy movie with a lot of heart” and says that if you don’t like “Emma Stone and Emma Thompson you should probably get your pulse checked.”

Cruella is out in theaters and available on Disney+ Premier Access now.