Actors and Press Tours: A Perilous Tightrope
Positive testimonies of onscreen sexuality, part 5
Although it’s not been used often in news and puff & glamor pieces, there’s a specific term for when an actor (whether male or female) is pressured to participate in onscreen sexually charged activity they find emotionally or morally oppressive. What is that term?
Sexual harassment.
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) says sexual harassment can include “unwelcome sexual advances, [and] requests for sexual favors.” According to the law firm Sidney L. Gold and Associates, sexual harassment can occur through “offensive touching, [and] discussions of intimacy that make others uncomfortable,” as well as instances where an employer makes “submission to the unwanted behavior [necessary] to advance in the workplace.”
Testimonies are legion of actors (particularly women) being pressured to participate in unwanted sexualized scenarios, whether on a film set or for marketing purposes. These scenarios involve gratuitous nudity, offensive physical touching, and uncomfortable scenes of intimacy. Submission to such demands has often carried with it the threat of a tarnished—or even ruined—career, such as “You’ll never work in this town again.”
In this blog series, we’ve been making our way through five relevant factors in the discussion of onscreen sexuality:
The context of actor interviews
Contradictory testimonies
Last time, we looked at factor #3: the industry-wide pressure placed on actors—especially women—to sexualize themselves for the camera. Now, it would behoove us to examine sexualized nudity and other scenes of intimacy within the context of sexual harassment. At first glance, this may not appear related to the fourth factor above—the context of actor interviews—but bear with me.
Hindrances to Proper Reporting
Victims of sexual harassment aren’t chomping at the bit to share their experiences—not with coworkers, friends, or family members, to say nothing of the public at large. It is estimated that nearly 75% of sexual harassment incidents go unreported. And a 2023 survey of the entertainment industry revealed that sexual harassment in Hollywood remains pervasive. Even so, lawsuits based on alleged sexual misconduct onset are the exception, not the norm.
With any case of sexual harassment, whether in Hollywood or some other work environment, the shame associated with the experience isn’t something a victim wishes to exacerbate, perpetuate, or prolong. And yet sharing their experience with a third party feels like a path that would do just that. There are at least two roadblocks that make victims of sexual harassment hesitant to report offenses against them.
The first is a lack of privacy. While absolute privacy is impossible1, confidentiality is a necessary component for any victim to feel safe enough to share their grievances. According to the book Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, it is critical for anyone inquiring about a particular incident “make sure that facts and opinions are discussed only with those persons who must be involved in the investigation itself, or in deciding its outcome.”2
Similarly, the book What Every Manager Needs to Know About Sexual Harassment states victims must be assured that “[their] complaint will remain confidential to the greatest extent possible and will be disclosed only when necessary to follow up and correct any misconduct.”3 If confidentiality cannot be guaranteed at some level, the chance of getting a fully truthful testimony is slim.
The second roadblock for victims of sexual harassment is something we mentioned earlier: the prospect of retribution by the offending party—something that could seriously and/or permanently damage their career. “While absolute confidentiality cannot and should not be promised…a pledge of nonretaliation can and should be made.”4 In cases of workplace harassment, it is imperative for the one asking questions about the incident to “assure the employee that he or she will never suffer any reprisals as a result of the complaint.”5 Otherwise, it will be difficult to acquire an honest testimony from the victim.
It’s All About Context
With that groundwork laid, consider the context of an actor interview. Is it a private affair that will only reach the ears of those who are positioned to help solve the problem (if there truly is a problem)? The answer, of course, is no.
What about the prospect of retribution? Does an actor interview eliminate—or, at the very least, limit—the exposure of her grievances so that offending parties won’t have motivation to badger or blacklist her later? Again, the answer is a resounding no.
Practically every aspect of an actor interview with the press is diametrically opposed to providing the confidentiality and safety needed for a victim of sexual harassment.
Imagine, for example, an actress being questioned about the filming of a sex scene in which she felt violated. How would she be likely to respond in such a situation, where confidentiality was not only not assured, but intrinsically denied? Imagine further that cameras are rolling while the interview is taking place—with the knowledge that hundreds or thousands or millions of people will be watching. Imagine further that the interview’s purposes is to promote a piece of work the victim is involved with, and that negative press could hurt the project’s success—and, thus, the success of everyone involved. Imagine even further that, while the recorded interview is taking place, the perpetrator is going to see the footage later—or maybe he’s even in the same room while the interview is being recorded, or participating in the interview as well.6
In such a situation, how likely do you think it would be for the victim to effectively and transparently and honestly communicate her experience? What’s more likely is that she would gloss over the offense—and maybe even profess that everyone involved acted professionally and everything went swimmingly well.
Generally speaking, the entire context of actor interviews is designed to promote positive experiences about whatever project they’re currently involved with. Anything less than that is a detriment to an actor’s career and relational safety.
The bottom line is this: if a form of sexual harassment has taken place while filming a particular movie, a public press tour is one of the last places on earth where we’re going to hear the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Note: the image at the beginning of this post is of a general press tour, for illustrative purposes only, and is not intended to insinuate that the interviewees depicted are victims or perpetrators of sexual harassment
Previous entry: “The Massive Weight of Industry Pressure”
Next entry: “Actor Experiences: When the Stories Don't Line Up”
At least some individuals in authority will need to be kept in the loop in order to address and resolve the issue.
Wagner, Ellen J. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace (Amacom: New York, 1992), p. 44.
Orlov, Darlene and Roumell, Michael T. What Every Manager Needs to Know About Sexual Harassment (Amacom: New York, 1999), p. 104.
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, p. 45.
What Every Manager Needs to Know About Sexual Harassment, p. 106.
Who in their right mind would put a victim of sexual harassment in the same room with the offender in order to get the most authentic and transparent testimony out of her?