MovieChat Forums > Kristen Stewart Discussion > Kristen speaks out.

Kristen speaks out.

posted 6 years ago by Ron2011 (907)
25 replies | jump to latest

https://www.wmagazine.com/story/kristen-stewart-sexual-harassment

I'm glad she mentioned the others who work all through the film making industry. I was thinking about that when the first Harvey Weinstein allegations came out, and then more. Most at first were from actors/actresses, high profile people but the issue had to be affecting so many others behind the scenes.

I had figured that the "casting couch" stuff was much diminished from years ago, given women empowerment and how attitudes had changed. But it was a bit shocking to see how rampant it still might be.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

One of the more
eye-opening articles I've read on this topic was contributed by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/19/moguls-and-starlets-100-years-of-hollywoods-corrosive-systemic-sexism

This particular excerpt speaks volumes in which it shows that despite many in the industry knowing full well what was going on, this despicable systemic behavior was hidden in plain view because of the power Hollywood movie moguls had over actresses looking to advance their careers:

In 2013, introducing the list of best supporting actress nominees at a pre-Oscars event, comedian Seth MacFarlane quipped: “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.”

Makes one wonder how many actresses who starred in major studio productions and have received Oscar nominations over the past 100 years were victims of the casting-couch experience which has coincided with the rise of Hollywood's studio system since the 1910s. Thus it comes as no surprise that the term casting couch originated way back then where actresses traded sexual favors with producers and directors to get ahead. While the victims of sexual harassment and even sexual assault and rape by Hollywood moguls are speaking out, I'm just wondering how many remain silent on the casting-couch issue as they voluntarily traded film roles for sexual favors as was the case with Marilyn Monroe, the major difference being Monroe was not shy to admit it.

I say this because there are talented actresses who work in television and in Hollywood that never seem to advance to become A-list actresses with leading lady roles in Oscar-bait films and who have never received any Oscar noms despite their talent. Another excerpt from the article can be said to support my view that, "The star was a creation of the executive’s imagination, and his corporate asset, to be discarded as soon as she was tagged 'box-office poison.'”

[–] Ron2011 (907) 6 years ago

"I say this because there are talented actresses who work in television and in Hollywood that never seem to advance to become A-list actresses with leading lady roles in Oscar-bait films and who have never received any Oscar noms despite their talent."

Right, that's another thing to wonder about - how many actors/actresses didn't make it very far because they refused sexual advances by someone with some power to impact their career.

Another thing I wonder. We see some adolescent actors getting into drugs and very messed up, finding it very difficult to make the transition from young actor to adult work. I'm sure some is certainly due to factors like having trouble make the changes to adult type work. But also, I have to think that sometimes some of them have a hard time progressing due to being emotionally harmed by the abuse or just fed up with the what they've seen in the industry. One singer who told her story on a TV news show, I forget her name, stopped singing in her late teens because she was disgusted with what was going on. She did pick up her career later on and has been successful.

As I said, I thought this stuff would have been much curtailed given how attitudes have changed in work places. Plus many many actresses have become influential and big names and it's surprising that they haven't spoken out until recently.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

We see some adolescent actors getting into drugs and very messed up, finding it very difficult to make the transition from young actor to adult work.

Amy Berg, who received a Best Documentary Oscar nom for "Deliver Us from Evil", directed another documentary on a similar topic, "An Open Secret", which documents how sexual predators who work in Hollywood prey on child actors. Two of the child actor victims who were featured in this film were two of the most iconic child stars of the '80s, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Haim is known for his role in "The Lost Boys" while Feldman became a household name after starring in "Gremlins", "The Goonies" and "Stand by Me". Feldman has said Haim's being raped on a movie set as an 11-year-old kid-actor led to his demise and subsequent drug addiction and untimely death according to The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/corey-feldman-elijah-wood-hollywood-897403

It appears Feldman being molested by those working in Hollywood also had an adverse effect on his career, as he would never return to the prominence he achieved as a child actor--not even close. The comedy "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" poked fun at Feldman, who portrayed himself in this spoof, and other former child actors. So sad as he seemed to have almost unlimited potential when it came to acting, especially noticeable was his performance in "Stand by Me", where he was mature way beyond his years.

In hindsight, it makes me wonder if other iconic child actors of the '80s such as River Phoenix, who also starred in "Stand by Me" and later received an Oscar nom for his role in "Running on Empty", as well as critical acclaim for his performance in "My Own Private Idaho", was a victim too, as his career spiraled downhill despite his potential to be a lead male on par with the likes of Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. Tragically, illicit drug addition also led to his untimely death, in Phoenix' case it was by overdose.

[–] GameOfSlaves (613) 6 years ago

Kristen got herself kicked out of the sequel to Huntsman for "dating!" the married director.

Women aren't always the victim.

I can't mention the name but a university friend is now a hockey player. He brought by a girl over at a friend's basement where a bunch of us were partying. I said where'd you find that smoking hot chick with the fake tits? He said he had to do a charity golf event and there was tonnes of gold diggers there.

I was never more jealous of anything, LOL.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

Sanders was the married and much older one, so in my opinion, he should have assumed most of the blame. To illustrate how ridiculous it is to place the entire blame on the woman, as it takes two to tango, thus the man should be held equally responsible or even more so in some cases, here's how it would look if this slut-shaming angle were applied to other Hollywood scandals over the years:

Angelina Jolie broke up Billy Bob Thorton's relationship with his then-fiance Laura Dern. More recently, she also broke up Brad Pitt's relationship with Jennifer Aniston.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead broke up Ewan McGregor's 22-year marriage to then-wife Eve Mavrakis.

Anne Heche cheated on Ellen Degeneres with Coleman Laffoon. After marrying Laffon, Anne Heche then cheated on him with James Tupper.

Jennifer Lopez broke up Marc Anthony's marriage to Dayanara Torres.
Abbie Cornish broke up Ryan Phillippe's marriage to Reese Witherspoon.

Several women broke up Jesse James' marriage to then-wife Sandra Bullock.

Several women broke up Eric Bennet's marriage to then-wife Halle Berry.

Madonna cheated on her then-husband Guy Ritchie with Alex Rodriguez.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's housekeeper broke up his marriage to Maria Shriver.

Julia Roberts broke up Danny Moder's marriage.

Evan Rachel Wood broke up Marilyn Manson's marriage to Dita Von Tesse.

Eniko Parrish allegedly broke up Kevin Hart's marriage to then-wife Torrei Hart.

Denise Richards broke up Richie Sambora's marriage to Heather Locklear.

Britney Spears broke up Keven Federline's marriage to Shar Jackson. Spears actually cheated on Timberlake twice.

Claire Danes broke up Billy Crudup's relationship with his pregnant girlfriend Mary Louise Parker.

[–] GameOfSlaves (613) 6 years ago

Women wanting to be rich celebrities are mostly all sluts and gold diggers.

Men with money have dicks that stray more because they have hot gold diggers begging them to let them suck their dick.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

Are you by any chance a misogynist? That would explain your comments that put down successful women celebrities while simultaneously justifying the abuse of power by male Hollywood moguls.

[–] GameOfSlaves (613) 6 years ago

I am a person that has been around.

There are just as many bad as good on all sides.

[–] not_a_virus.exe (1267) 6 years ago

Sorry, but barring rape, men can't have sex with women unless women give them the green light. That is a constant that has remained intact since we walked on two legs. And of course men can exploit their position of power to use them for sex in the promise that they can become a star, but the onus is on those women to sacrifice their careers in order to maintain their integrity. You don't get to claim that you're a strong independent woman while submitting to the same patriarchy you shun when it suits you. Sometimes it means you get a raw deal. And you need to be ok with that. Kristen doesn't deserve any sympathy. She knowingly slept with a married man with two kids, but she did it while she was still attached to Robert Pattinson. There's no worse kind of betrayal than that. You can say well two are at fault, sure, but the thing is that unless the woman accepts the proposition, no sex can occur. That's why they get the blame. Imagine if the night shift security guard has the key to a bank, and he lends it to a gang of thieves. Who would get the blame? The security guard, or the thieves? She enabled him. There's no excuse.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

You can say well two are at fault, sure, but the thing is that unless the woman accepts the proposition, no sex can occur. That's why they get the blame. Imagine if the night shift security guard has the key to a bank, and he lends it to a gang of thieves. Who would get the blame? The security guard, or the thieves?

Going by your own analogy, both the security guard and the thieves are to blame if a bank gets robbed under such a scenario, with the ones who actually committed the theft should be punished more severely. Thus, both Kristen and Sanders should receive the blame, although not to the same degree as, like I mentioned in a previous comment, Sanders was the one married with children and had more to lose and should be held more accountable because of the oath that he took that he would remain loyal to his wife 'till death do them part. Kristen did not take such an oath. I hear of unmarried couples switching partners all the time, while married men, especially middle-aged men with children, not nearly as much.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning cheating, nor do I expect anyone to sympathize with and excuse Kristen for what she did--she herself does not expect such treatment either as she was quick to issue a public apology, something that she did not have to do as in actuality, it was no one's business, except for the parties directly affected by her moment of indiscretion.

The crux of the matter that you, nor anyone else can honestly deny is that scandals are very commonplace in Hollywood, which again begs the questions: Why single out Kristen? Do you go on all the boards of all the actresses who have cheated on their boyfriends or husbands and denounce them for doing so--or do you do so just for Kristen?

[–] not_a_virus.exe (1267) 6 years ago

That's not going by my analogy. Yes both the thieves and the guard receive blame, but the thieves were let it. If it wasn't for the guard, nothing would have been stolen. The guard holds complete responsibility for what happened. As does Kristen.

Let's say the guard didn't let them in and they rushed the bank by force and took what they pleased, then who would be to blame? Certainly not the guard. The guard did what he could right? At least he was there to report the event. Likewise, if Sanders had raped Kristen then that would be a very different story, but he didn't. It was very consensual.

And I understand that he took an oath, and he's a scumbag for breaking it, but he could not have broken his oath if it had not been for Kristen to facilitate it. That's the crux of the problem here. That's why the media blames women in all of these stories. Because without them, they wouldn't have happened. There's no way around it.

As for why I single out Kristen? I just saw her name pop up on the trending column of the site. I jumped to the latest post and carried on the conversation from there. There's really no conspiracy beyond that. You're making a mountain out of an anthill.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

And I understand that he took an oath, and he's a scumbag for breaking it, but he could not have broken his oath if it had not been for Kristen to facilitate it. That's the crux of the problem here. That's why the media blames women in all of these stories. Because without them, they wouldn't have happened. There's no way around it.

I consider the tabloid media's blaming of women in the vast majority of celebrity scandals as sexist, even male chauvinistic especially if they simultaneously turn a blind eye to male celebrities who wreck countless relationships with impunity. Neither do I subscribe to the belief that this is a chicken-or-egg causality dilemma, where it's unclear who's at fault. Unless you're claiming that Sanders was a robot without any free will, he could have and should have resisted the temptation to sleep with Kristen. Of course, easier said than done, considering her beauty, charisma and talent--yet regardless of such beauty, charisma and talent which she possesses, a married man thou not cheat on his wife if he truly believes in the sanctity of marriage. There's no other way to say it.

[–] not_a_virus.exe (1267) 6 years ago

[deleted]

[–] not_a_virus.exe (1267) 6 years ago

But men can't wreck countless relationships. That's why I'm trying to tell you. You can't just keep dialing it back to him not valuing his marriage. That's already a given. She still went ahead with it. Unless she was unaware of his marital status, she's to blame. As all women who are aware of the man's marital status are for ruining a family. The only time she would be a victim is if he hid it from her. And that happens sometimes too. Men who keep their marriage a secret from the woman he has an affair with. I really feel sorry for those women who weren't even given the opportunity to opt out. They're more or less forced to be in the middle of uprooting a family. Bad position to be put it by a man.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

Unless she was unaware of his marital status, she's to blame.

Regardless of whether or not Kristen knew that Sanders was married, just so long as their moment of indiscretion was a consensual one, which I strongly believe it was in accordance to the information made available, both are to blame. Like I mentioned earlier, Sanders was the married one so he was the one who committed adultery according to the law of the land of states with anti-adultery laws on their books, while Kristen, who has always been single, did not commit adultery. So to deem Kristen guilty, while pardoning Sanders and absolve him of infidelity despite his involvement in the scandal, would be a miscarriage of justice in a court of law. If you continue to place the entire blame on Kristen then I'll have to firmly agree to disagree, as you seem to be bent on sexist blame shifting of all women who are involved in such scandals. If you cannot comprehend the concept that it takes two to tango in a mutually agreed upon sexual relationship between two sane adults regardless of their marital status and both must assume a measure of blame, I see no point in discussing this matter any further.

[–] not_a_virus.exe (1267) 6 years ago

You're still discussing it now though. And let's not get into the nitty gritty labyrinth of the law here ok? It used to be legal to rape your wife and own people. To use it now when it suits your argument is entirely dishonest. Man-made laws are subject to change and distortion according to the ages and values of society. Please.

I'm still standing behind what I said. I've already acknowledged that men deserve blame for attempting to dishonor their wives with an affair, but while it takes two to tango, there can be no tango taking place if one declines. You may not like the reason why women get the blame in cases like this, but that's the way it is. And it is that way for a reason.

[–] CupidDeLocke (274) 6 years ago

Are you fuckin kidding me?! A grown-ass married man who cheats on his wife is at least 90% responsible for destroying his family. The ‘other woman’ is just taking advantage of his lack of respect for his wife and family and if she doesn’t aid him in cheating, it will be with someone else. She can’t be the ‘other woman’ without the husband’s willingness to destroy HIS marriage and family. He’s the one who took a vow of fidelity and faithfulness through trials, tribulations, and temptations. The other woman took on no such responsibility. Nor does she necessarily have any relationship with his wife and kids. It’s not at all manly to refuse to take responsibility for your actions and to claim that women are responsible for your actions, as if you are 5 years
old. Grow the hell up and be a man. You wouldn’t be saying it’s the other man’s fault whenever a woman cheats. It’s still the woman who gets all the blame. This type of mysogyny is not rational or logical and is indicative of immaturity, egomania, narcissism, and entitlement. It has no place in a civilized society. Oh and in your little fictional scenario, the majority of the blame lies with the thieves. You’d be stupid to think otherwise.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

Would have to agree as you paraphrased some of the things I previously mentioned on this topic. I find it difficult to grasp the rationale of not_a_virus since he doesn't appear to be a misogynist in the sense that he certainly doesn't appear to be an apologist for the male Hollywood moguls and directors being accused of sexual misconduct as evidenced by his posting history where he strongly condemns such behavior. Yet this poster seems to be conflicted when he feels justified in placing all of the blame on the unmarried woman caught up in a scandal instead of holding the man at least equally accountable, albeit the much older man who was entrusted to direct a film in which this young woman starred in and who voluntarily broke his marriage vow. Not sure why he has an ax to grind with Kristen as cheating is quite commonplace in Hollywood so why single her out?

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

Continued:

Helena Bonham Carter broke up Kenneth Branagh's marriage to then-wife Emma Thompson.

Rachel Weisz broke off Daniel Craig's engagement to ex-fiancee Satsuki Mitchell.

Erin Barry broke up Tony Parker's marriage to then-wife Eva Longoria.

Tori Spelling broke up her own marriage to Charlie Shanian as well as Dean McDermott's marriage to Mary Jo Eustace.

LeAnn Rimes broke up her own marriage as well as Eddie Cibrian's marriage to Brandi Glanville.

Gabrielle Union broke up Dwayne Wade's marriage to Siovaughn.

Olivia Munn broke up Justin Timberlake's longtime relationship to Jessica Biel.

Meg Ryan broke up her own marriage to Dennis Quaid by having an affair with Russell Crowe.

Alicia Keys broke up Swiss Beatz marriage to Mashonda.

Amber Heard was rumored to have broken up Johnny Deep's 14-year relationship with Vanessa Paradis.

Jessica Simpson cheated on Nick Lachey with Adam Levine.

Paris Hilton broke up Michael Murray's marriage to then-wife Sophia Bush.

Gwyneth Paltrow allegedly broke up her marriage to Chris Martin after reputedly having an affair with Jeffrey Soffer.

Kate Bosworth who was in a relationship with Alexander Skarsgard at the time, allegedly also had a share in breaking up Chris Martin's marriage to then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow.

A prostitute broke up Hugh Grant's eight-year relationship with Elizabeth Hurley.

Nicole Forrester allegedly cheated on Jorsh Duhamel while he was married to Fergie.

Kris Jenner cheated on Robert Kardashian with mystery man.

Daisy Wright broke up Jude Law's engagement to Sienna Miller. Sienna Miller then cheated on Jude Law with Daniel Craig. Sienna Miller also had an affair with Balthazar Getty while he was married to his wife Rosetta.

Rose McGowan broke up Robert Rodriguez' marriage.

Rebecca Broussard broke up Jack Nicholson's marriage to Anjelica Huston.

Ethan Hawke's nanny broke up his marriage to Uma Thurman.

Sara Leal broke up Ashton Kutcher's marriage to Demi Moore.

[–] bigbadwolf666 (4707) 6 years ago

interesting post!

I knew about 70% of it so the other ones were still interesting.

Most would be fun to discuss.

I think this list makes it abundantly clear how corrupt Hollywood is and how it is heavily twisted in one favor.

The whole every thing is clean and equal is a myth.

But I doubt the numbers this guy spring out. What they really mean is 10,000 hookers which is also a sign how corrupt hollywood is because no matter the status of a man 2000 woman aint going to through themselves to a man for nothing. The first thing that would happen is a tell all book or a sexual harassment suit. None of this fore mentioned men have the charisma to bag so many women and have so much time to do so. They'd need to dedicate their entire lives regardless of fame or wealth to do and still have a life and still have time for their extremely dedicated careers and still have time for live shows and apperances. Get real. They boast these numbers for publicity and all of these fools are loaded with stds, issues and debt. Look at Sheen for example and it doesnt say a thing of the quality of these women. Who'd the fuck would ever get near Sheen after finding out he got aids?

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

Continued:

Of course one could just as easily turn the aforementioned slut-shaming angle on its head by placing all the blame on the man instead. Take for example Leonardo DiCaprio who has dated over 35 women, some of whom he has reputedly broken the homes of. Has Hollywood treated him as an outcast and blacklisted him or have they fully embraced him despite all the scandals? The answer is obvious.

As to why this double-standard still exists in Hollywood where the woman often takes the lion's share of the blame whenever there's an affair, baffles me. And here's some food for thought: if two adults who cheat in a consensual manner is as horrible as you say it is, why aren't there anti-adultery laws on the books in the state of California? BTW, even if there was, it would be ironic how in the court of public opinion, Kristen is presumed guilty by the tabloid media, when in a real court of law Kristen would be innocent because of her single status, while in states such as New York, Rupert would be the one guilty as charged for committing adultery.

So in a nutshell, why single out Kristen, when a plethora of other actresses and actors for that matter, have also been involved in scandals as well? Do you go on the boards of all the aforementioned actors and post similar drivel--or do you do so only on Kristen Stewart's board? Only recently does it seem that men are finally being held accountable for sexual misconduct in light of all the sexual harassment allegations brought up against Weinstein and other Hollywood movers and shakers.

[–] Ron2011 (907) 6 years ago

"So in a nutshell, why single out Kristen, when a plethora of other actresses and actors for that matter, have also been involved in scandals as well?"

I feel that views of an actor/celebrity depends on if someone likes or dislikes and actor/actress. And yes, I think there is a double standard between men and women.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

I feel that views of an actor/celebrity depends on if someone likes or dislikes and actor/actress. And yes, I think there is a double standard between men and women.

Without question Ron. Here's an extreme example of the double-standard that exists in Hollywood: Russell Brand has reputedly slept with over 1,000 women, Jack Nicholson claims to have slept with 2,000 women, while Charlie Sheen had sex with 5,000. If an actress ever became that promiscuous I'm pretty sure they would be blacklisted.

[–] Ron2011 (907) 6 years ago

I can't really believe the numbers some of these actors/celebs/sports players give for the number of people they've slept with, but certainly the numbers of women/men they've been with is a high number. People throw themselves at celebs, groupies and such.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

In the world of sports, Wilt Chamberlain comes to mind when speaking of sexual promiscuity, as he has claimed to have slept with 20,000 women. Interestingly, what I once thought was an unbreakable record, Derek Jeter reputedly broke a few years back according to Sports Pickle https://medium.com/sportspickle/derek-jeter-now-just-3-women-away-from-breaking-wilt-chamberlain-s-all-time-record-of-20-000-6dbaa79d6fd0 Sports Pickle, by the way, admits to being a sports humor and satire site, so I'm guessing Jeter hasn't slept with nearly as many women as Wilt "The Stilt".