Director James McTeigue, stars Stephen Rea and Natasha Wightman, and more on shaved heads, Warners' reaction to the queer Valerie Page scene, and why they replaced James Purefoy with Hugo Weaving. On March 17, 2006, when “ V for Vendetta ” premiered in the United States, the country was waging war in the Middle East. Meanwhile, conservative majorities at home held both the House and Senate under a Republican president. In the wake of 9/11, anti-immigrant sentiments were on the rise, LGBTQ+