Thursday, October 12, 2017

Some Advice For Women Who Want to Make It in Hollywood in the Wake of the Harvey Weinstein Reports


So there are all kinds of reports out that Harvey Weinstein has raped or otherwise sexually harassed all kinds of wannabe stars and real stars. I have no idea how much of it is true.

Interestingly enough, I had a meeting with him some decades ago before he made it in Hollywood. He was pitching a roller derby league he owned and looking for financing. Then a movie he picked up hit, A Thin Blue Line.

He didn't need financing for the roller derby league after that or for that matter the roller derby league itself. It was to be an all-female league. I guess Harvey had focus early on.

I have only been on the far edges of the Hollywood movie game but it
it is pretty insane. Very beautiful women throw themselves at you if they think you have any connection. I think it warps a lot of guys. Not all, but a lot. They can get away with a lot in Hollywood.

But here's the thing. If you are female and interested in acting and are good at acting, set some rules. Do not meet, agents, producers, directors etc. in hotel rooms.

This is not complicated. Only meet in public and if it is at an office, make sure it is an active office. And meet during office hours, not late in the evening, don't even go to a 4:00 PM meeting.

Do not go into mysterious dark corners of clubs or restaurants with a producer,  director etc..

If you are invited to a party at a private house make sure you bring a friend. If there is no party, leave immediately.

None of this will hurt your career if you are a good actress. In fact, if you tell a big name producer you won't meet him in a hotel room it will make you more intriguing. As we can tell from the Harvey reports most women are afraid to say no to such meetings.

Someone who says "no" is going to be interesting. He will meet you in the hotel lobby etc. And the minute, he tries to take the conversation away from your career bring it right back on track.

Guys like Harvey are persistent. Use that to your advantage---forever. It is very powerful leverage. Just make sure all appointments are in very public places.

These rules apply outside Hollywood as well. It's crazier in Hollywood, but unless you want to sleep with a guy, you should never go to his hotel room or even his house if there are not plenty of people around.

Keep it public and you will be able to keep yourself out of big trouble.

  -RW

4 comments:

  1. I wouldn't be surprised to find that many of these women traded sex for movie roles willingly, and are now screaming rape so they can avoid being labeled as prostitutes.

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    1. I would say a lot more encounters were consensual than many believe.

      Thats how he got in trouble, thinking all no's were not actually no's

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  2. Good advice; and I agree with you, maintaining your self-respect applies to all aspects of interpersonal relations.

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  3. I have no love for Weinstein and I hope he gets everything that is coming to him, but as others pointed out, many women (and I guess some men) willingly barter their sex for connections. In Weinstein's case you could say that his connections were far more valuable than the commodity sex the women offered. In a sense Weinstein got short changed.

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