For all the terrible things 2017 has given us, one of the few bright spots is Kristin Scott Thomas back on screen. In 2014, Kristin stepped away from film to work on stage. However now she’s back as Winston Churchill’s wife in Dark Hour and next year, she appears in The Party, which we will discuss below (squee!). Kristin, who has spoken about aging in Hollywood a few times, recently commented on sexual harassment in Hollywood while at the New York premiere for Dark Hour. She said not only is it prevalent everywhere but addressing it is long overdue. At least, I hope that’s what she meant.
English actress Kristin Scott Thomas works a lot in Europe, but wasn’t surprised to learn the U.S. film industry is full or pervs like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby.
“I think every industry everywhere is like this,” she told us at the Paris Theatre premiere of “Dark Hour” in which she plays Clementine Churchill — the wife of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. “I think it’s no secret and now we’re suddenly waking up to it all and … actually I don’t think we’re waking up to it all. Now we’re making the decision to do something about it, which is different.”
“I find it as shocking and disturbing as everybody and hopefully this will be a major wakeup call and now things will change,” she said.
Kristin’s not wrong about this being a problem in all industries. And hopefully, all industries will address it now. Red carpets are a tough place to address subjects like these, I don’t think everyone comes across as they mean to. I think Kristin is echoing what we’ve heard, that most people knew this was happening but we didn’t know the extent and that finally, those in power are holding the predators accountable.
As for Kristin’s next film, The Party, I can’t wait. The cast is great (Cillian Murphy!) and it’s giving me a sophisticated Clue feel. Kristin plays a politician who has just been appointed to a key role. She’s hosting an intimate get-together for good friends that goes terribly wrong and descends into everyone punching Timothy Spall. Patricia Clark appears to be killing it in what looks like my dream role. And maybe someone gets shot – wee! Here’s the trailer – it comes out the same weekend as Black Panther so I can make it a double feature:
Photo credit: WENN Photos and YouTube
She’s a favorite of mine and everything I’ve ever seen her in I have loved. She is a brilliant and talented performer and I love seeing more of her. I think she’s just saying what we’re all talking about–that women everywhere, in every industry and employment situation, are subject to this kind of thing, and that it’s past time to take action. To which I say, yes!
I know this sounds really shallow, because her work is great and so are her words, but HOW is this woman SO beautiful? Sigh. She glows.
I agree with her, this isn’t just a crime that exists in Hollywood.
I have been thinking back to when I first started working as a teen. I put up with such abuse in the restaurant industry because I don’t think I realized how extreme the situation was. I thought it was just part of being an adult, and I had to suck it up and deal with it. I am so glad these things are getting called out so publicly. Hopefully it leads to serious change across the board.
I love her! And she is right.
Every industry ..no maybe not. But many. One thing about working in a corporate environment vs small businesses everyone tends to be on guard in many ways to be P.C., respectful and non offensive and there’s endless HR intervention. OTOH if you are in industries like restaurants, hospitality, spa, acedemia , construction etc those tend to be the places where it’s a obstacle course.
I think it’s probably in every industry. If you’re not being harassed by a boss or coworker – it’s easy to believe a customer could be doing it. I know I’ve had very few problems in my office with coworkers/bosses (but still had a few) – but I had customers who were basically stalking me on the phone and being SO creepy.
One thing I find incredibly interesting is that I work in an office – I’m a website developer for a very large company. For the most part the guys I work with are pretty great – some of them are incredibly tactful, kind, feminist allies who defend women whenever needed. There are of course absolute garbage humans here though, and they’re usually very very bitter about women. I take a lot of pride in knowing that I can outperform any single one of them – and knowing that it probably annoys the hell out of them.
On the other hand – my husband has worked both as a carpenter, and now as a journeyman plumber. He’s heard much less terrible things on the job than what I have in the office. Most of the guys he works with are married with families, and while they might not be super woke – they don’t sit around talking about women in a negative way. Most of the time they’re talking about 4-wheeling, or motorcycles, or projects they’re working on around their home. Some of them brag endlessly about their kids and share the hilarious things they’ve done. Other times it’s just discussion of tv shows or movies.
I’ve told him some of the things that I’ve overheard and he’s completely surprised because he’s in an industry known for cat-calling and toxic masculinity and he hears far fewer offensive things. Unfortunately, there are a lot of angry pathetic men working in tech. I’m happy to say I’m friends with some absolutely wonderful guys who will go out of their way to make sure women have opportunities, who will go after anyone who says sexist things, and they have no tolerance for harassment. I have two bosses at different level who go out of their way to make sure the women on our teams feel respected. I know one overheard something that was borderline harassment (pretty low on the spectrum really – though still shouldn’t have happened) and shortly after called my female friend into his office asking if she was okay – and if she wanted him to support her with HR. He was 100% going to go to bat for her, no questions asked. These are the kinds of guys that we need more of – and the kind of guys who need to keep standing up and putting the others in their place.
I also tend to think it’s a lot easier for small companies to fire someone than it is for someone working in a high-powered high-earning industry. It costs them a lot less to find a replacement and train an employee to work in a small chain restaurant than it does to replace a major actor on a series.
I think i didn’t make myself clear. If you work in a corporate environment you can go to HR and by in large there are trainings etc. That doesn’t mean that you won’t find
just as many harassers etc as you would in any other industry. Just that by in large they are on their guard and there are tools in place to keep them in check. OTOH while your husbands co-workers (may) be nice (honestly speaking men might not be aware of how their male friends behave towards women) a woman who works in construction will very likely face a lot of harassment in general and their won’t be the same corporate support structure in place to support a woman facing those kinds of circumstances. Same with a woman who is working for a family run business and is being harassed by the boss, his brother, or son. There just isn’t the same kind of protection.
I agree this is a huge problem in many industries but…not to the extent it is in Hollywood. It’s just not. The systematic child abuse, “casting couch”, strategic blackmailing of women who speak out, etc is not in EVERY industry. And while I think it exists at most levels of power and should be discussed, I think saying things like ‘it happens in every industry’ makes me feel like theyre trying to shift the conversation away from the fact that Hollywood can be a horrible and scary place…
I feel as though people in the “real world” are more horrified by harassment and abuse than people in Hollywood. In the “real world” I think it would be harder to get a non-actor to sign a petition for Roman Polanski.
Harassment happens everywhere, but I think the reactions to it in the real world are one of being actually horrified.
I want to word this carefully but I’m not sure the “every industry” argument is entirely helpful here. Yes harassment is everywhere; but serial rape and serial sexual abuse enabled by industry members? Sorry Hollywood but with a few exceptions you’re in a “special” class. This is Catholic Church level on a smaller scale. The core of the industry is absolutely sick and must be burned out. It’s not like THAT everywhere at all.
I agree with this comment. Industries where going to parties, working in people’s homes, having irregular work hours and working at night are more prone to having this kind of issues. It’s the same things with Campuses and the fashion/advertising/marketing industry, TV, all the arts etc.
This, of course does not mean that sexual harrassment in all forms and shapes doesn’t exist elsewhere, even violent abuse, but there are simply less opportunities (yuk) for it to happen systematically. However, sex discrimination, unequal pay are, indeed, almost everywhere.
Exactly!
I disagree w what you said about the Catholic Church having sexual abuse problems on a “smaller scale” than Hollywood. Pedophilia has been going on for centuries in the Church, I know several, male survivors of it. Pedophilia is MORE prevalent—if anything–than in Hollywood itself, and it goes as unpunished.
It’s time for men to step off and women to try harder for dominance in all fields! Can you imagine how much more humanely focused work would get done and without grab a$$ and trying to destroy everything on earth!
John Lithgow is the only Churchill. #NeverForget
Go see The Party! It’s excellent- more like a play than a film and only about an hour long.
The cast is fab and it is hilarious.
No there isn’t harassment like Hollywood in every industry! There may be harassment but not like this!
I don’t think she’s trying to deflect from Hollywood being so toxic it should have its own biohazard sign. I think she’s actually trying to « invite » all the women into the broader conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace. Plenty of people have noticed that the spotlight is currently on the entertainment and political industry and I did take it as « not every woman has a platform to come out but they exist. The cashier, the teacher, the doctor, the engineer… »
I also want to say that I love her. That is all!
Every time I see her, and I mean EVERY TIME, I can’t help but think how great she was in Gosford Park, and how she somehow was overlooked for an Oscar nomination. And, in one of the greatest travesties in recent Oscar history is how in the hǝll Jennifer Connelly won over Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith, let alone got nominated ahead of Kristin.
Well she is not wrong. There is SH everywhere. I work for the governement and once I was harrased so badly by my superior for a whole year, he actually told me in the end he was going to destroy me and I was sure I was going to have everyone against so I said to myself “F#%k it” and I screamed at him to get the hell out of my office and to “bring it on”. I told him I was gonna go probably but I was going to drag him with me. Eventually he couldn’t touch me (that time the law protected me) but he also was afraid because he knew I didn’t joke about that. I wrote a letter to the higher ups and it took several people to stop me from sending it. But I told them to tell him to stay clear of me. He changed position after a while and it was such a relief. The new guy was a decent person even if it was difficult at work but not even once he bothered women and we could finally breath. It is everywhere and it crushes so many women everyday.