Naomie Harris Says “Huge Star” Groped Her During an Audition
Naomie Harris is one of the biggest Black stars in the U.K., but that has not stopped her from being subjected to the gross behavior of male costars. The Bond franchise star shared with The Mail on Sunday that an actor put his hand up her skirt during a table readthrough.
She said, “What was so shocking about it was the casting director was there and the director, and of course no one said anything because he was – he is – such a huge star. That was my only #MeToo incident, so I felt very lucky given how rife that behaviour was.”
Harris continued: “Now things have definitely changed: I was on a project where there was a #MeToo incident and there was no hesitation, [the perpetrator] was immediately removed.”
Harris did not name the actor, but all I can think is just what comes to the mind of a person to think that it is appropriate to just suddenly put their hand up someone else’s skirt? But even more horrible is the fact that no one did anything about it. A director and casting director were there, and nothing will be said because whoever the “A Lister” was created an environment where a literal sex crime went unchallenged.
Plus, this was just an audition, so that means the entry point to even get the role had this boundary put in front of Harris. Young actresses and other vulnerable actors are being told at the very start that this is their value in the room. It will never compare to the man, and the other people around will not do anything to protect you.
Even worse is the mentality that Harris felt “very lucky” considering how “mild” it was in comparison to what others have experienced. That is really sad and speaks so strongly to how we treat power dynamics in Hollywood. Even though Harris doesn’t name the person responsible, just knowing that they weren’t held accountable bodes poorly for how they interacted with women in the future.
Thankfully, post-MeToo, she does say things are getting better. Sadly, they never should have gotten so bad that you’d be subjected to that kind of dehumanizing experience.
(via Deadline, image:Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Fashion For Relief)
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