Discussions of mechanisms for allowing victims of sexual harassment to come forward, the drive for greater inclusion of women and persons of color, and the need for clear guidelines for behavior on film and TV sets were hot topics across the daylong series of panels.
2 comments:
This article gave me a new perspective on the horrors of the Harvey Weinstein debacle. As Wienstien's horrible actions and the allegations, I think that we have been more exposed to actors' reactions and the reactions of well-known names rather than Weintein's producer and director peers. It is important to hear the perspectives and opinions of producers, especially female producers because these people know what it is like to work in the very particular jobs and fields that Harvey Weinstein worked in during these assaults. Having powerful women in the producing positions of Hollywood like Lori McCreary and Kathleen Kennedy speak out can be even more important in discussing issues like Weinstein than the voices of the "well-known" because they can give real help and show real responsibility for the issues at hand. In all, this article is definitely one that more people should read, and one that people both inside and outside of Hollywood should consider.
While the sentiment that the producers exhibited is thoughtful and nice sounding, it stinks of “too little, too late”. In an industry that thrives on gossip and information sharing, it is rather unbelievable to think that none of these producers were aware of Harvey Weinstein’s despicable actions given the scale, scope, and longevity of the predatory behavior. Moreover, Weinstein was not the only perpetrator of these horrendous actions. Scores of Hollywood producers, directors, and actors are guilty of this same sort of behavior, just possibly on a smaller scale. Not to sound hyperbolic, but given the treatment rendered by the NCAA posthumously at Joe Paterno for his role in the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State where he was stripped of his achievements and had his statue removed from campus, I think many in Hollywood should be subject to similar treatment. Actors, assistants, producers, and directors who knew about Weinstein and others, many like Brad Pitt have known for decades, and chose to do nothing about it are partially culpable. Candidly, producers in Hollywood are going to need to do a lot more than a simple culture change. Entities that knew about Weinstein and did nothing should face financial consequences and imprisonment, although I wonder how much of an industry would be left if this were to occur.
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