Arkady
President
One of the criticisms of Hollywood, regarding the Weinstein scandal, was that everyone knew about his conduct and yet still associated with him, doing nothing to stop his predatory behavior. Others have come out and insisted they didn't know anything about it (e.g., Meryl Streep). I have no connection to Hollywood, so I have no clue which is true. I'd never heard of this behavior until the story just broke, but I don't tend to follow the gossip, so that's not saying much.
However, that controversy was playing in my mind as I read some other stories about the "casting couch" recently. Various stars have been pointing out that it's not just Weinstein -- that other powerful figures in Hollywood have behaved the same way. Yet they aren't naming names. That includes two male stars, James Van Der Beek and Terry Crews, who have recounted stories of being groped by male movie magnates. They keep the details vague though. So, is this going to be another case where in a few years someone finally speaks up and names names, and then many more come out of the woodwork to confirm, and we're told "everybody knew"... even though, for years, those victims spoke in non-specific terms so that not everybody knew?
I realize it's tough to jeopardize a career by identifying one of these predators by name. If you're Terry Crews or James Van Der Beek, repeatedly in a position where you need to audition for new work, being one of the first to level specific accusations against someone has got to be scary -- many won't believe you, and if they think you wrongly accused a friend or colleague, they may hold it against you when it comes to whether or not you get a role. But the big-name victims need to think about the fact these predators are still out there doing the same thing, often to people who have no financial security or standing within the industry.... waiters and waitresses still hoping for their big break who REALLY can't expect their career ambitions to survive being a sole accuser. People like Crews and Van Der Beek (or, better yet, an even bigger name) should get specific with their accusations, because that's the only way to stop this predatory behavior.
However, that controversy was playing in my mind as I read some other stories about the "casting couch" recently. Various stars have been pointing out that it's not just Weinstein -- that other powerful figures in Hollywood have behaved the same way. Yet they aren't naming names. That includes two male stars, James Van Der Beek and Terry Crews, who have recounted stories of being groped by male movie magnates. They keep the details vague though. So, is this going to be another case where in a few years someone finally speaks up and names names, and then many more come out of the woodwork to confirm, and we're told "everybody knew"... even though, for years, those victims spoke in non-specific terms so that not everybody knew?
I realize it's tough to jeopardize a career by identifying one of these predators by name. If you're Terry Crews or James Van Der Beek, repeatedly in a position where you need to audition for new work, being one of the first to level specific accusations against someone has got to be scary -- many won't believe you, and if they think you wrongly accused a friend or colleague, they may hold it against you when it comes to whether or not you get a role. But the big-name victims need to think about the fact these predators are still out there doing the same thing, often to people who have no financial security or standing within the industry.... waiters and waitresses still hoping for their big break who REALLY can't expect their career ambitions to survive being a sole accuser. People like Crews and Van Der Beek (or, better yet, an even bigger name) should get specific with their accusations, because that's the only way to stop this predatory behavior.