Dylan Sprouse has one word to describe the revelations fellow former Disney star Joe Jonas made about working for the mouse: bulls**t.
“What that article felt like was: ‘Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, still shame on you,'” Dylan said on his Tumblr, adding the Jonas brothers’ decisions were guided by their desires for fame — not ultimatums from Disney.
“If they wanted too, they could have told Disney ‘NO.’ Cole and I did this hundreds of times and we ended up all right. The only reason they didn’t is because, like many of the people on that channel, I think they fell for the allure of fame. Granted, Cole and I had been acting our entire lives, so we saw it as a means to an end (money making) rather than an opportunity to become successful.”
In Joe’s interview with New York Magazine, the middle Jonas brother said Disney executives made the young stars “feel like we couldn’t ever mess up.” And, because they thought it was their “only real shot,” Nick, Joe and Kevin went along with it all.
Dylan had the similar experience of working with his brother — twin Cole Sprouse — and Disney. However, unlike the Jonas brothers, Dylan said he and Cole were willing to stand up to the bosses. (He previously revealed the brothers walked away from Disney when executives refused to give them producing credits.)
“Nowadays artists just assume they have to do what they are told by their proprietors because there is a ‘rigid structure to achievement.’ It is nothing more than a scheme to rob you of your individuality and capitalise the gain they acquire from such treachery. If you believe this, not only are you incredibly foolish, but you are a BAD ARTIST.”
Dylan is not alone in criticizing Joe’s interview. Both former Jonas Brothers fans and dissenters have commented Joe seems like he’s playing the victim card.
“Honestly as a very long time Jonas Brothers fan, this article kind of bugs and hurts me. It seems as if Joe is not only unhappy but ungrateful for everything he has had; the fame, the fans, etc,” one person commented on the original article. “As someone who religiously bought their albums, watched that dumb Jonas show even though I didn’t like it, and went to as many concerts as I could, it makes me feel kind of cheated.”
