All That Glitters Is (not) Gold could not be truer about a place than it is about Hollywood. Seen by many as the place where dreams are made, Hollywood is just as guilty of being the place where dreams are shattered. Many a young actor or actress works their entire career only to try and make it to what has been called, the “Silver Screen”, only to find out that the place they loved and cherished so much is in actuality rotten to the core.
The fact that sexual harassment exists in Hollywood is an open secret. The stories inevitably repeat themselves and include young actresses, seeking to make it at all costs, taking advantage of by powerful, largely male, executives. While the primary issue is the fact that such exploitation takes place in the first place, more concerning is the way in which such actions are covered up and perpetrators protected, always at the expense of victims.
In no other industry is this culture of silence so pervasive as it is in the entertainment industry. Indeed, one word can destroy an entire career, either from a victim speaking out who is later penalized by the entertainment community, or by an angry executive who after being accused, has the power to make sure that a victim never again works in Hollywood.
There are a number of these cases which are very telling, some older and some more recent, but all of which tell the same concerning tale. This can be seen in a case seen only a few months ago, when executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise, Bravo’s, Andy Cohen was accused by actress Brandi Glanville of sexual harassment when he invited her to watch him having sex over FaceTime. Instead of admitting to the accusation of sexual harassment, he instead dismissed her claim stating that, “She was in on the joke”. What that joke was remains unclear, but what was clear was a lack of any remorse from Andy Cohen.
Although not a new case by any stretch, the story of ABC producer Stephen McPherson rings familiar for anybody discussing cases of sexual harassers who never faced justice for their actions. This was a case which disappeared from public view almost as quickly as it appeared with Stephen McPherson, who was responsible for shows such as Modern Family and Lost, resigning his position as executive of ABC Television overnight, and disappearing from the public eye. Many have speculated what happened after he was accused by multiple women, including colleagues, of harassment. The running theory is that his sudden disappearance and consistent denial of any wrongdoing by his attorneys I had something to do with a large settlement paid to his victims. Stephen McPherson now spends his time, along with his wife, rebranding himself as an expert winemaker at Promise Wine. To the next of anyone’s knowledge, he never served a day in prison for his actions.
Financial settlements, and even resigning one’s position, is not enough to help victims overcome these life lasting traumatic experiences. Closure comes only with the ability to publicly discuss what you have been through and seeing your aggressor punished for their reprehensible actions. More often than not this is not the case, with the number of stories coming into the public light more likely than not, not representing even a fraction of the instances of sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood.
The time to clean up the movie industry, which we have all grown up to love and cherish is now. While getting rid of all of those responsible for assault and harassment cannot happen overnight, what can happen quite quickly is changing the culture of silence that has become pervasive in Hollywood. We must unequivocally begin taking the side of victims and making it clear that there is no place for protecting monsters in Hollywood.
