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Bisexual film producer Megan Ellison says a Hollywood Reporter article "barely scratches the surface of Scott Rudin's abusive, racist, and sexist behavior."
Film producer Megan Ellison, who is bisexual, has joined in the allegations of racist, misogynist, and generally abhorrent behavior on the part of EGOT-winning gay film and Broadway producer Scott Rudin.
"This piece barely scratches the surface of Scott Rudin's abusive, racist, and sexist behavior," Ellison tweeted Wednesday after The Hollywood Reporter published a story detailing accusations against Rudin, a powerful producer of movies and Broadway plays. He and Ellison worked together on the 2010 film of True Grit and several other projects.
Among the allegations in the Reporter story: Rudin smashing a computer monitor on an assistant's hand after the employee couldn't get Rudin a reservation on a sold-out flight, sending the assistant to the emergency room; throwing other objects in the office, including a laptop computer and a glass bowl; telling Slave Play author Jeremy O. Harris "you're a baby playwright who has written one good play, no one gives a FUCK what you have to say"; making "racially insensitive jokes about President Barack Obama"; calling Whoopi Goldberg an idiot; lying about former employees when giving references, for instance saying one was a thief; and stranding a colleague on a highway.
Employees have been willing to put up with Rudin's behavior, according to the Reporter, because of the prestige of working with him, and because many sign nondisparagement agreements or fear being blacklisted in the entertainment industry. Rubin's credits include films such as There Will Be Blood, The Social Network, and No Country for Old Men, and plays such as The Book of Mormon and the recent Broadway incarnation of To Kill a Mockingbird. Rudin has been showered with awards, including Tonys, and an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar.
Ellison said too many people are afraid to speak out about Rudin, as they were for years about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, who's in prison after being convicted of rape and another sex-crime charge (he's appealing the case). But now several have spoken either on or off the record. Among those willing to talk on the record was Caroline Rugo, who said she was fired as Rudin's executive coordinator because he objected to the half-hour she spent on exercise as part of her treatment for diabetes.
"I got fired for having Type 1 diabetes, which is a federally protected disability," Rugo, who now works for Netflix, told the Reporter. "I 100 percent could have sued him. But I didn't because of the fear of being blacklisted. But I've worked at Netflix for a year and a half now. And it was such a shock to the system because it's one of the most respectful and progressive workplaces in terms of employee relations. Now that I have established myself here and I am a part of a team where my opinions are respected and welcomed, I have no issue speaking out about Scott. Everyone just knows he's an absolute monster."
