On the night of 24 May, as news channels and social media was abuzz with news of Hollywood superstar Morgan Freeman becoming the latest addition to the seemingly unending list of Hollywood’s sexual predators, the young teenager in me was left heartbroken.
Ever since women started speaking out about their ordeal of being groped, touched, or raped by Hollywood’s bigwigs, the list of men who we millennials grew up idolising has fallen like a house of cards (pun intended!).
From Kevin Spacey to Morgan Freeman and Michael Douglas to Sylvester Stallone, the list is painfully exhausting. The culture of rampant sexism and sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry that has come to the fore is downright disgusting, to say the least.
It makes one think, that if all these men are actually found guilty, the stardom that they enjoy would be wrong and undeserving on so many levels.
Here is a list of such ‘great ’men, who, like dominoes, have fallen one after the other and have left fans disappointed and heartbroken.
Morgan Freeman
As many as eight women – production assistants, reporters, and women employed by Freeman's production company Revelations Entertainment – came forward to speak out about the times where Freeman attempted to lift one woman's skirt, ogled at women in the Revelations office, asked women to twirl for him, and made inappropriate comments about what the women around him were wearing, Daily News reported.
And these are just some of the allegations.
In a feeble attempt to defend himself, Freeman issued an apology in a statement – but Mr Freeman, sorry doesn’t cut it.
Michael Douglas
The Basic Instinct star was accused by a journalist named Susan Braudy of masturbating in front of her in his apartment in New York during a one-on-one meeting. She alleged that not only did he touch himself in her presence but also subjected her to sexually coloured language using demeaning words for female genitalia.
Douglas refuted the claims but agreed to using ‘colourful’ language.
Sylvester Stallone
As per a police report from November 2017, the Rambo legend was accused of “forcing a teenage girl into having sex with him and his bodyguard” at a Las Vegas hotel, almost three decades ago. Stallone and his bodyguard reportedly “intimidated” the 16-year-old girl into having sex with them.
Stallone’s spokeswoman rubbished the allegations, calling them “categorically false.”
Kevin Spacey
The House of Cards actor was accused by Anthony Rapp – who starred in films like Star Trek – of sexually harassing him when the actor was 14. Rapp said Spacey, who was 26 at the time, picked him up in his apartment and lay down on top of him, without his consent.
Spacey took to Twitter to apologise, though he claimed that “he did not remember the incident.”
Bill Cosby
Popular stand-up comedian Bill Cosby of the popular The Cosby Show was convicted for sexual assaulting more than 35 women. Cosby admitted to casual sex involving recreational use of a sedative – hypnotic methaqualone (Quaaludes) – with a series of young women, and also acknowledged that his prescription drug was illegal.
Woody Allen
With a career that spans almost six decades, Woody Allen broke hearts when he was accused of sexual abuse by his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow.
Dylan had complained of the abuse to her mother in 1992, when she was seven years old. Her brother, Ronan Farrow, defended her in a post on Twitter that went viral. However, charges against Allen were eventually dropped.
James Franco
You probably remember him as ‘Harry Osborne’ from the Spiderman film series. Looks like Franco took his role as the antagonist rather seriously, as actress Violet Paley accused him of “forcing her head down towards his exposed penis in a car” and “inviting her 17- year-old friend” to his hotel room.
As someone who grew up binge watching films starring these men, and thinking so highly of them, I feel a sense of betrayal and loss.
To think that they have not only abused the power that they wield in the industry, but also claimed to speak for the empowerment of women (in many instances) has disappointed and shocked many of us.
Having said that, it is about time these men are given what they deserve. We couldn’t be prouder of the women who are coming forward and calling out these men.
More power to them!
(With inputs from Daily News)
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