Thanks to #MeToo and the brave individuals who continue to speak out, two more men are facing consequences for their past actions. James Franco was digitally removed from Vanity Fair’s annual Hollywood issue, and Casey Affleck will not be presenting at the Oscars this year. In addition, Harvey Weinstein will legally be taken to task for at least some of his monstrous behavior: his former assistant is suing him, his brother Bob, and The Weinstein Company for discrimination and harassment.
Franco — who failed to receive an Oscar nomination for his performance in “The Disaster Artist” in spite of a previous SAG nod and Golden Globe win — was scrubbed from the Vanity Fair cover due to allegations of sexual misconduct. As a Vanity Fair spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter, “We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him.”
This move is consistent with the tone of the article accompanying the cover. “The films and TV shows represented by the actors in this year’s Hollywood Portfolio,” it reads, “took the #MeToo movement in stride, offering strong women in leading roles, as well as strong men supporting them.”
Five women accused Franco of “inappropriate or sexually exploitative” behavior in a Los Angeles Times piece published earlier this month. The actor has denied the claims.
Affleck, who won the Academy Award for best actor last year, will break with tradition and not present this year’s best actress trophy. Deadline reports that he pulled out to avoid controversy, as #MeToo and #TimesUp will likely be topics of discussion at the ceremony. He “did not want to become a distraction from the focus that should be on the performances of the actresses in the category.”
The “Manchester by the Sea” actor won the Oscar last year despite his history of sexual harassment. In separate cases, Affleck was sued for sexual harassment by two different women who worked on his “I’m Still Here” mockumentary. Both lawsuits resulted in out-of-court settlements and non-disclosure agreements. His alleged behaviors included forcing a crew member to expose himself to producer Amanda White and uninvitedly climbing into bed with DP Magdalena Gorka.
Brie Larson presented Affleck his Oscar and famously refused to clap for him in response to his past behavior.
Sandeep Rehal is bringing a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, and TWC, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. She served as Harvey’s assistant from February 2013 to February 2015. Rehal also has a claim against TWC human resources exec Frank Gil for his aiding and abetting of Harvey’s sexual misconduct.
Much of Rehal’s job involved catering to Weinstein’s sex life. “Ms. Rehal was required to be involved in and aware of the preparations for, and clean up after, Harvey Weinstein’s extremely prolific sexual encounters,” the filing details.
It continues, “Another ‘task’ Ms. Rehal was forced to do to aid Harvey Weinstein’s sexual encounters was to clean up the semen on the couch in Harvey Weinstein’s office. This happened on a regular basis, three or so times a week when Harvey Weinstein was in New York.”
Weinstein also verbally abused Rehal and forced her to take dictation in his presence while he was naked.
Rehal maintains that TWC’s upper management, including Bob Weinstein and Gil, was well aware of Weinstein’s actions. She also says she wasn’t the only TWC employee to witness Weinstein’s sexual misconduct.
As more and more stories come out about Hollywood power players, it is gratifying that, in Franco’s case, women are being listened to and believed and, in Affleck’s case, the accused are feeling pressure to address their behavior. It’s also a relief that some men like Weinstein will have to legally reckon with their behavior in one way or another. Let’s hope that #MeToo leads to more perpetrators being held accountable for their actions.
