’Woke’ Hollywood is writing us out, say white producers

Hollywood has been accused of taking political correctness too far and sidelining white men in pursuit of diversity.

Howard Koch (left) says that a lot of talented people were struggling to get work because they’re not black, Native American, female or LGBTQ. Picture: Getty Images

Hollywood has been accused of taking political correctness too far and sidelining white men in pursuit of diversity.

Writers, directors and producers described a growing fear of damaging their careers by speaking out against liberal values.

Studios are increasingly reluctant to hire white men, it is claimed, and the problem is so severe it could result in legal action.

Peter Kiefer and Peter Savodnik, writing for the Common Sense Substack, a conservative-leaning newsletter that often features articles challenging liberal politics, said more than 25 industry figures have complained of a “woke” orthodoxy seizing control of Hollywood.

One prominent producer shared emails from senior executives saying hiring a white man would look bad and studios were instead chasing women and people of colour. The producer predicted: “This is all going to end in a giant class-action lawsuit.”

Mike White, the creator of HBO’s class satire series The White Lotus, said people across the industry were reluctant to share their true feelings.

He said: “If you voice things in a certain way it can really have negative repercussions for you and people can presume that you could be racist, or you could be seen as misogynist.”

Howard Koch, a prolific producer and former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which oversees the Oscars, said: “I’m all for LGBT and Native Americans, blacks, females, whatever minorities that have not been served correctly in the making of content, whether it’s television or movies or whatever, but I think it’s gone too far.

“I know a lot of very talented people that can’t get work because they’re not black, Native American, female or LGBTQ.”

Hollywood, which has long been seen as a stronghold for American liberalism, has not escaped the reckonings on race and gender that have brought turmoil to American society in recent years.

Film director Quentin Tarantino says a trend has emerged in the industry ‘where ideology is more important than art’. Picture: AFP

In 2015 anger over a lack of diversity among the Academy Award nominees led to the viral hashtag OscarsSoWhite. The controversy forced the Academy to broaden its membership - 92 per cent white and 75 per cent male - to include more women and people of colour. The MeToo movement took off in October 2017 following allegations that the producer Harvey Weinstein had abused scores of women for decades.

The perception that Hollywood has overcorrected to make up for past sins has been gaining ground. The director Quentin Tarantino said a trend had emerged in the industry “where ideology is more important than art”.

Supporters of the push towards greater diversity argue it is overdue and financially necessary. Franklin Leonard, the influential founder of The Black List, an annual collection of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood, has said the industry’s lack of diversity was costing billions of dollars a year.

The Times