Lucasfilm prez and producer Kathleen Kennedy delivered the keynote speech at Elle’s Women in Hollywood Event last night and used her platform to acknowledge — and condemn — the elephant in the room. “A demand is growing for action to prevent further civil and human rights abuses in the future,” she observed, per The Hollywood Reporter. Kennedy added that “increased awareness of the belittlement, objectification, and predation long-endured by women who work in film will certainly be one result of the exposure of what Harvey Weinstein did.”
In addition to voicing her support for the women who have come forward and shared their stories about Weinstein, Kennedy stressed that “predators must come to feel they can’t count on power or wealth or fame to shield them.”
The “Star Wars” producer outlined several tactics Hollywood should adopt to combat its culture of abuse. She recommended “zero tolerance policies for abusive behavior, and a secure, reliable, unimpeachable system in which victims of abuse can report what’s happened to them with a confident expectation that action will be taken, without placing their employment, reputations, and careers at risk.”
Kennedy also suggested that individuals from all professional walks of life come together to create a commission “charged with the task of developing new, industry-wide protections against sexual harassment and abuse.” Her vision would see feminist activists, labor and management representatives, law experts, activists, sociologists, psychologists, and film and TV execs join forces to overhaul Hollywood’s current system of addressing misogyny — which usually involves turning a blind eye.
“The commission should be fully funded by our industry in order to address the task at hand in a thoroughgoing, comprehensive fashion,” Kennedy continued. “The goal of this commission would be to transform our industry in regards to sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.”
In her own speech, Women in Hollywood honoree Jennifer Lawrence endorsed Kennedy’s idea. “If we build this commission, this community of support where anyone can come to us and ask questions, I will give my all to it,” the Oscar winner stated.
Kennedy has received eight Academy Award nominations throughout her career, and has produced over 90 projects, including “Persepolis,” “Jurassic Park,” “Back to the Future,” and “Schindler’s List.” One of Kennedy’s upcoming credits is the much-anticipated follow-up to 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “The Last Jedi.” The Daisy Ridley-led sequel hits theaters December 15.
You can read Kennedy’s entire Women in Hollywood speech over at THR.
