Kristen Wiig Talks ‘Ghostbusters’ Casting Backlash: ‘It Really Bummed Me Out’

Kristen Wiig may be one of the most successful women in comedy, but she finds the “Ghostbusters” backlash no laughing matter.

The actress headlines the upcoming female-led revival alongside Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, and said the negative attention surrounding the movie’s gender switch caught her off guard.

“The fact there was so much controversy because we were women was surprising to me,” she told the Los Angeles Times on Friday. “Some people said some really not nice things about the fact that there were women.”

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Kristen explained that what hurt the most was the lack of regard for what she, her co-stars and the filmmakers are intending to accomplish.

“It didn’t make me mad, it just really bummed me out,” she said. “We’re really honoring those movies.”

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While many have applauded the decision to put a feminine twist on a male-dominated franchise, Kristen said the negative reaction isn’t the only thing reinforcing the genre’s spotty reputation.

“I think the fact that people keep asking it implies that it’s something we need to explain or defend,” she said of receiving the frequent “women in comedy question.”

“If [people] would watch movies or look at comedy and see how many talented, funny women are out there and have been since the beginning of time, people would stop asking that,” she added.

Despite the obstacles facing many female comedians in Hollywood, the “Bridesmaids” star and co-writer is hopeful that the right steps are being taken.

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“The other side of it is we’re still not there as far as opportunities,” Kristen said. “But people are doing the work.”

“Ghostbusters” is set to hit theaters on July 15, 2016.

— Erin Biglow