Harvey a good start, but Bill and Roman must be next

COUNTLESS men and women have shared their Hollywood abuse stories in recent months. So why is Harvey Weinstein the only one to lose his Academy seat, asks Katy Hall.

IN news that feels like it should be shocking but somehow isn’t at all, Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski, Kevin Spacey, Casey Affleck and Mel Gibson are all still proud card-carrying members of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

That’s the same Academy that expelled accused rapist and serial sexual harasser Harvey Weinstein in 2017 because, as they so eloquently claimed in a statement released shortly after their decision, “the era of wilful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behaviour and workplace harassment in our industry is over.”

It’s also the same Academy that ratified a new Standards of Conduct for its 8427 members in December that, in part, read, “The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality.”

French-Polish director Roman Polanski pleaded guilty to raping a child in 1977, but still he remains a member of the Academy. (Pic: Loic Venance)

At last count, Cosby has been accused by close to 60 women of drugging and raping or sexually assaulting them.

Spacey has been accused of verbally abusing co-workers, as well as sexually harassing and assaulting over a dozen men.

In 2010, Affleck reached financial settlements with two former co-workers who separately sued him for sexual misconduct while onset. That same year, Gibson admitted to physically assaulting his then wife Oksana Grigorieva, and was caught on tape making racist, anti-Semitic and violent tirades on multiple occasions.

In 1977, Polanski pleaded guilty to “having unlawful intercourse” with a 13-year-old child.

Like #oscarssowhite and protests against President Trump before it, Hollywood awards seasons have come to be, for better or worse, inherently political affairs. In 2018, there’s no question that this season will be the year of #metoo and attempting to bring about a reckoning for abusers who operated within the industry’s home for so long. From women wearing all black on the red carpet to the noticable absence of one of the industry’s biggest players, the elephant of abuse can no longer be ignored.

Which is why doing some spring cleaning before then isn’t a bad idea. But why one is out while so many others remain is, to date, a complete mystery.

In 2017, Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual harassment and assault by multiple sources. He remains a member of the Academy. (Pic: Nicholas Kamm)

Given that Weinstein is yet to admit guilt to countless allegations currently standing against him from 30-plus women, his expulsion can’t come down to a majority of the Academy simply believing he is guilty. Because on that basis, due to their admissions not just to their community but also law enforcement officials, Polanski and Gibson would have to be out as well.

So, does it then have to do with the fact that many of Weinstein’s alleged victims were all within his professional orbit and he used his position of power for bad? Again, not necessarily, because by that basis, Spacey and Affleck would be out for straight up misconduct, while Polanski would also be shown the door due to him using his association with French Vogue as an opportunity to take topless photos of a child and have “unlawful sexual intercourse” with her — something he admitted to doing when entering his guilty plea.

Was it the sheer volume of women who came forward with stories against Weinstein? That’s possibly part of it, but as mentioned before, those standing against Weinstein are only roughly half of those who have accused Cosby of equally vile crimes.

Actor Mel Gibson admitted to assaulting his ex-wife, but is still a member of the Academy. (Pic: Valerie Macon)

Perhaps, then, Weinstein was removed because of the sheer power he commanded within Hollywood. But even then, to deny the influence of Bill Cosby throughout the 80s and 90s is to ignore history.

Another theory is that many within the Academy were simply happy to see Weinstein go because he was such a bastard to work with. But if reports are anything to go by, many felt the same way about Spacey.

It can only be assumed, then, that the Academy’s decision to rid itself of Weinstein but not those around him was the desperate action of a group still dancing in the dark and not listening to the voices who shouted until these issues were brought to the light to begin with. It is to ignore the 8422 members who are not believed to have engaged in harassment, assault, abuse and rape and instead carry on as if Weinstein were a once in a lifetime anomaly.

To date, the only other person to have their membership revoked was Carmine Caridi, who was booted in 2004 after he was found to have broken the Academy’s piracy rules.

If Hollywood is serious about changing its tune and ushering in a new era, by all means, use the reputation and privilege of Harvey Weinstein as the sacrificial lamb in a bid to teach others a lesson. But do not pretend he is not part of a flock. If there’s one thing that’s become crystal clear in the past six months, it’s that that’s just not true.

Katy Hall is a writer and producer at RendezView. Follow her on Twitter @katyhallway.