Justin Theroux hurt by 'Zoolander 2' boycott campaign

Actor Justin Theroux says he was hurt by a petition calling for a boycott of "Zoolander 2", due to the portrayal of an androgynous model.

The 44-year-old actor and screenwriter wrote the script for the upcoming sequel starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson and shared his response to the boycott campaign with digital news medium The Wrap, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Several critics started an online petition in November after a trailer showcased actor Benedict Cumberbatch portraying an androgynous model named All.

"I don't even know what to make of it, because it hurts my feelings in a way. I take great care in the jokes I write, and the umbrage being taken is out of the context of the scene. I wish people would see the movie first," Theroux said.

Theroux also wrote the screenplay for the 2008 satirical action comedy "Tropic Thunder" and it too was criticised by advocates for the mentally challenged.

"Zoolander 2" is a sequel to the 2001 comedy film "Zoolander". It will narrate a story of the main protagonists of the film rejoining the world of high fashion to find the person assassinating the world's most beautiful people.