Chris O’Dowd and Jon Hamm Have Our Backs, Ladies [UPDATED]

And the award for Mensch of the Day goes to: both Chris O’Dowd and Jon Hamm, both of whom had roles in Bridesmaids and are now appearing together in Friends With Kids. But it’s not their roles that have them getting their lovely mugs featured in a blog post today — it’s what they’re saying about women in Hollywood. Namely, women who have been treated unfairly. Okay, here is how we’re really going to grab you with this one: Chris O’Dowd calls Michael Bay an a-hole after the jump, so you’ll want to read that. UPDATE: Never mind about Chris O’Dowd, apparently he took back what he said about Michael Bay.

Oh good! We successfully got your attention. We’ll start with Mr. Hamm before getting to O’Dowd’s comment. Hamm is the longtime boyfriend of Jennifer Westfeldt, a woman who writes, directs, produces, and performs in her own movies, as well as other projects here and there. Before she made Friends With Kids, she made her screenwriting debut in 2001’s Kissing Jessica Stein, which she co-wrote and starred in with former collaborator Heather Juergensen. In 2006, she wrote, produced, and starred in Ira and Abby. She also acts in things she didn’t write, like a supporting role on 24 and her Tony-nominated turn in the revival of Wonderful Town. Jennifer Westfeldt is a very accomplished woman, to say the least.

And Hamm, who has been with Westfeldt since 1997, has stood by her side while she withstood rejection, disappointment, and a general lack of support by both men and women in the film industry:

People are going to be naturally predisposed to dislike sisters who are doing it for themselves. And it’s crazy, and it’s not just men; it’s very often other women…There seems to be this expectation of: Hold on, lady. You just stay in your place. Don’t try to reach for too much.

Now, O’Dowd. One of the co-stars of Friends With Kids is Megan Fox, who plays the love interest of Adam Scott, whose character has a baby with Westfeldt’s character while they agree to remain platonic co-parents and date other people. As we know, Fox had a bit of a falling out with Michael Bay after she criticized her part in the Transformers franchise. And then Bay fired her. O’Dowd has stepped up to defend Fox, using some words I think many of us would choose to use to describe Michael Bay:

I don’t know the ins and outs of it but it’s all down to having a fallout with Michael Bay. But who wouldn’t have a fallout with him? It’s one of the sexist things (sic) I’ve ever seen. She called him an a**hole. Well, he is a f**king a**hole. She’s not the only one who has said that. Why has she been singled out?

We’re not going to sit here and argue with Chris O’Dowd. Not when we know that Michael Bay wants to turn the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into aliens. And also, how he treats women on the sets of his movies.

Update: Never mind. Think Progress has pointed out that O’Dowd took back his comments:

What I actually said was; ‘The way the Press gleefully dealt with the firing of a young woman was one of the most sexist things I’ve ever seen. People shouldn’t revel in seeing anyone lose a job. The dismissal of an old male actor would never have been welcomed with the same joy and ridicule.’ It was naive of me to assume a remark aimed at the sexism in the entertainment press would reach its target in the entertainment press. I’m new to all this and that was stupid of me.

Awwww, those guys that guy!

(via Women and Hollywood)