Let’s be honest, we’ve all compromised on our values in exchange for a benefit or opportunity, in some way or the other. Of course, there’s no shame in that. But the question is, how long before we end up creating a world that is terrible to live in, as a consequence? 

Well, this actor’s polite decline of an offer to be a part of Layer‘s recent infamous ad is a reminder that a simple “No,” can mean a great deal. . 

LinkedIn

According to senior creative director Abbas Mirza‘s post on LinkedIn, a friend and actor named Saurabh Verma declined Layer’s offer by calling out how derogatory the script was! Cool right? In fact, it’s more than just “Cool.” 

The fact that he spoke his mind and told them that the script was misogynistic was incredibly brave of him. He may have unknowingly set an example for other creatives in his field. Or at least we hope!

And here is how netizens responded to the applause-worthy reply Saurabh had for the acting offer. 

linkedin
linkedin
LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn

Someone also pointed out how problematic it was that the person on the other end had no clue why the script needed changes. 

LinkedIn
LinkedIn
LinkedIn

And that’s how you shut down rape culture like a boss. We hope this can inspire change in a way where the audience will no longer need to call out problematic advertisements. That now, we’ll see brands put better systems in place to check and audit their projects, and artists who’ll refuse to work with brands that promote anything derogatory.