Berry and Majumdar, the latter of whom led the response to the allegations, are not without their supporters who agree with the arts charity’s statement that it was “not in a position to properly investigate such matters.”
“Nobody feels brave enough to speak out; we’re all used to being bullied. It’s almost like it’s part and parcel of the job,” she says. “It’s in the DNA. It’s all these little things that are not normal, that become normalized and then it’s like, where are the Ghostbusters? Who are we going to call?” “I feel that we need more industry-agreed guidelines so that everyone is clear on what is acceptable and what is not,” Taylor says. “It is important to find a way to ensure that every artist knows these guidelines, especially new and emerging artists — that way, rogue agents will not be able to manipulate others.
Both senior industry figures point to the influence of U.S. production companies for incorporating measures to safeguard individuals while carrying out their film and TV work. Hanson, who worked with Netflix on the Ricky Gervais series “After Life,” praised the streamer for its hotline that allows individuals to lodge complaints and concerns anonymously. “People were sceptical but it definitely helps and makes people feel more comfortable,” he says.
A consensus seems to be that a culture shift is required to prevent abuse of power from those in privileged positions within the industry — but it needs everyone, from the highest and lowest ranks, to participate in order to ensure effective change is made so that people feel empowered to speak up.
Where the industry is today is a natural evolution of an industry that primarily runs on rejection, pleasing authority and zero job security. To fix it, we have to address all three. The utmost core of the industry needs reevaluation, not just the obvious things.
Why did BAFTA react so quickly to suspend Noel Clarke but still haven't done anything about Scott Rudin after allegations going back decades were revealed weeks earlier, if there is to be zero tolerance then it should be for everyone