I’m not going to say his name because he doesn’t deserve shit. He was one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, and now he’s one of the most reviled men in the business — and arguably the world. The brave women who spoke out last year to The New York Times and The New Yorker are fucking heroes, for many reasons. One is that they had no idea what would happen if they came forward. The story could have landed like a thud. Or been ignored. But that’s not how it went down. Thanks to the women who shared their histories with He Who Must Not Be Named, the Times’ story ignited something in Hollywood, the country, and the world. We’re in unprecedented territory. Donald Trump is in the White House, but the resistance to men like him and that other one grows stronger by the day.
It’s been a scary, intense, heart-stopping year. It’s also been fucking empowering. Seeing all the women and the men stand up and tell their truths, and survivors and their supporters come together, has given me hope in these dark days. It’s been a long time coming and Hollywood won’t ever be the same again.
This movement has been about weeding out the harassers, abusers, and assaulters, but it has also been about expanding the stories that are allowed to be told, and who can — and should — tell them. It’s really pushed the conversation about inclusivity to a new level. #MeToo has become engrained in the DNA of the culture, and while we are all exhausted, we must not stop. We cannot let up. We just cannot. We’ve seen some change, but not enough. We deserve more, and we’ll continue to fight for it.
The rot in Hollywood is deep. It is not unique to this industry or town. The rot in our country is deep. But deeper still is the hope that things can and will change. Over this last year we have seen women believed in a way that I never thought could be possible, yet the pushback is so overwhelming that at times it feels that we have not gone anywhere.
But we have. Things have changed and are changing and that is because many, many people will not allow the ground to be ceded. Lots of great things have happened — including some highlights listed below — but I think the resurgence of #MeToo and the launch of #TimesUp and the Times Up Legal Defense Fund are the biggest game-changers. They are creating lasting change, seeking justice against perpetrators across different countries and industries, and creating a mechanism for people to congregate together, share their stories and frustrations, and to push for change.
Also worth noting — especially since it’s mostly gone under the radar — is the fact that the high profile actresses are now all in communication. They know how much one another is being paid, for example, helping putting an end to the years of pitting women against each other.
Here are some things we at Women and Hollywood have tracked over the last year that we hope is part of lasting change.
Global movement to create anti-harassment laws, codes of conduct, and hotlines:
- Cannes hotline
- Women in Film hotline/IMDbPro App
- UK hotline
- Screen Australia Code of Conduct
- BFI anti-harassment and anti-bullying guidelines
- Academy Code of Conduct
- Swedish Film Institute’s new sexual harassment education program
Recognition for #MeToo, journalists, and survivors:
- #MeToo is Time’s Person of the Year
- Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey, and Ronan Farrow winning the Public Service Pulitzer
Protests and tangible change across Hollywood, the music industry, and more:
- Festival Gender Parity Pledges happening across the globe
- California law requiring talent agencies to address sexual harassment
- Los Angeles DA forms sexual assault task force
- Mute R. Kelly campaign
- Ashley Judd sues Harvey Weinstein
- Women in music industry call for Neil Portnow’s resignation
- Music fests promise gender parity by 2020
- Deadline Hollywood has reported that 14 of 42 television drama pilots ordered by this spring are directed by women. (Last year, abysmally, there was only one.)
And let’s not forget the high profile directing gigs that women got, the fact that both “Captain Marvel” and “Wonder Woman 1984” are coming out next year, and other female-led projects in the works:
