Ben Platt Is Facing Criticism for His Comments About the 'Dear Evan Hansen' Film

Actor and Broadway star Ben Platt is the latest celebrity to land himself in hot water on Twitter. The actor, who originated the role of Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, will reprise his role in the 2021 movie musical film of the same name.

After the first trailer for the film was released, it met backlash over his appearance, and recent comments he made on the Zach Sang Show have riled many on the internet. Why is Ben Platt canceled? Here's everything we know so far.

While many people are excited about the musical coming to life as a film, not everyone is thrilled with the decision. At first, the comments were mostly directed at Ben's appearance in the trailer. Many felt resembled a 30-year-old man rather than the 17-year-old character he is supposed to be playing.

Ben Platt is only 27, but the discussions prompted a defensive response from him that resulted in a now-deleted tweet from May 2021 (captured by Variety) saying, "Thank you from the bottom of my [heart] for the outpouring of trailer love yesterday. The film required me to revisit areas of personal pain, so seeing people excited and moved makes it so deeply worth it. P.S. to the randos being jerks about age, read this great article and/or watch Grease."

Although he deleted the tweet, all the negative responses to the film upset Ben, who brought it up again on the Zach Sang Show in Aug. 2021. He said, "People like to have something to say that is negative, regardless of what it is. And so if my thing is something that I can’t control at all — which is my age — then bring it on. I’m glad it’s not about the performance or my voice or anything that actually matters."

Ben added, "I think the reaction is largely from people who don’t understand the context of the piece — the fact that I created the role and workshopped it for three years. Were I not to do the movie, it probably wouldn’t get made."

The last sentence drew particular ire from fans, who pointed out that Ben's father, famed producer Marc Platt, is responsible for both the movie and the musical that jump-started his fame.

One user tweeted, "If you don’t think Ben Platt’s casting in the Dear Evan Hansen movie has at least something to do with nepotism, here’s your reminder that everybody in the OBC [Original Broadway Cast] of The Prom had to audition for the roles they originated and none of them got cast."

Another person chimed in, "While I am so over the discourse of this. To suggest that there is no Dear Evan Hansen without Ben Platt is incredibly unfair to everyone else who has played the role." Other notable actors who have played Evan Hansen include Noah Galvin, Jordan Fisher, Andrew Barth Feldman, and Taylor Trensch.

Fans will just have to see how they feel about the decision for Ben Platt to reprise his role when they see the film.

Dear Evan Hansen premieres in theaters on Sept. 24, 2021.