It seems no woman is immune from sexual harassment, especially in the film industry.
At the Cannes Film Festival this week, Chloë Sevigny, who is at the fest with a short film she directed called “Kitty,” told a troubling story about dealing with sexual harassment during auditions.
As Variety reported, three male directors “crossed the line” with Sevigny. “I’ve had the ‘what are you doing after this?’ conversation,” Sevigny said. “I’ve also had the ‘do you want to go shopping and try on some clothes and, like, I can buy you something in the dressing room’ [conversation],” she added. “Just like crossing the line weirdness.”
At another point, a director told her, “‘You should show your body off more. You shouldn’t wait until you’re as old as this certain actress who had just been naked in a film, you should be naked on screen now.’” Sevigny’s retort? “If you know my career, I’ve been naked in every movie.” Her resume includes controversial — and sexually explicit — films “Kids” and “The Brown Bunny.”
Sevigny revealed that she never got hired for the jobs where the directors made inappropriate advances. Still, she cautioned, “If you’re young and impressionable and really want the part, it might be a tempting avenue, but I hope not.”
Though Sevigny opted not to label the behavior sexual harassment, we’d totally identify the behavior as such. She mused, “I would consider it Hollywood.” “Was it sexual harassment? It’s such a fine line.”
On her experiences as a first-time director, she also faced some sexism. “When women on set become a little emotional, or impassioned even, they’re labeled as hysterical or crazy and have a hard time getting hired again,” she said. “The double standard of the man being the wild, crazy, mad director is so embraced…We have to allow women to act out… and just be ourselves,” she explained.
In addition to talking up her short, and promoting the new Whit Stillman comedy she stars in with Kate Beckinsale, “Love & Friendship,” which is now playing, Sevigny addressed the idea that women are given inferior material. As Variety explained, “She noted that the recent flop, ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War,’ had three starring roles for Jessica Chastain, Emily Blunt, and Charlize Theron, but suffered in its execution. ‘It has those three great actresses and then the male lead [Chris Hemsworth], but I was just like they should have had better material for those ladies,’ said Sevigny. ‘Now that movie probably, I don’t think is performing well, and then will they make another movie with three great powerful women after that?’”
