"I felt humiliated and powerless. All I had wanted, as a semi-broke 20-something, was a steady job and to be treated fairly."reading my essay. A woman who looked like a gaffer cowered on the floor in a squat position. Russell threw items off a desk and she shielded her face with her hands to avoid being hit. No one in the video asked if she was OK, or attempted to stop his tirade.
I wondered if I had brought on the behavior by smiling at the crew during the 12-hour day, which was considered a short workday in the world of television. Or did they really not like me? Or were they trying to harass me into quitting, because they wanted new blood to taunt? When I gave birth to Daisy a few years later, I found myself reflecting on my life. I thought about the good times I’d had on theset, like the time I sang at Amateur Night at the Apollo and Sarah Jessica Parker sent me roses with a sweet note. Or when someone on the production staff defended me after a crew guy said my nose was too big for the screen and that was why I never got a speaking part on the show.
It also reminds me that I’m not alone. Too many professionals in the film industry have dealt with harassment and abuse, and more and more of them are nowabout the things they have allegedly experienced on set. Hopefully more reckonings will take place, and more change can happen.I believe the first thing we need to do is educate everyone about what toxic behavior is, why it’s wrong and how it hinders everyone from doing their best work, whether it’s on set, over Zoom or in an office.