Too much Hollywood power can unleash the worst

too much hollywood power can unleash the worst 2017 images

There is a firestorm going on in Hollywood right now that has been a long time coming. Powerful men have been abusing their positions, leaving victim after victim with the task of trying to make sense of the wrong done against them. Sexual predators abound, and those who are good-looking, popular or young are not safe. The men that run the world have gotten away with sick, heinous acts against people who were just trying to do what they love – create.

The rumors that have swirled around Hollywood in the inner circles of the elite have come to light and bombshell after bombshell continues to bring some of the biggest names in Hollywood to the forefront of a timely conversation. Rape culture is rampant in our society, and for those apart of the entertainment industry, it seems to be business as usual. The latest man brought to his knees is Louis C.K. The comedian issued a lengthy apology and while folks are dissecting it left and right and many saying that what he put out is not an apology at all, real focus needs to be given to another aspect of C.K. and other industry predators’ situations – the impact of their lifestyles on their projects.

hollywood men accused of sexual misconduct after harvey weinstein

I am a firm believer that those who are writers, directors, singers, pretty much anyone involved in entertainment of any kind, pull on situations from their lives. I know I do. I have found that in the moments where I used my experiences in my writing, it is more authentic; more believable. The shock of everything that has been revealed about Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and the lot, is that many of the projects that they have been involved in have either had undertones or very specific references of predatory elements. For Louis C.K., this is extremely true. With the New York Times article that outlines the accounts of women who detailed his lewd behavior (masturbating in front of them), the similarities in his actions and his latest project are too similar to be something that he just pulled out of his ass as a good idea for a film.

I Love You, Daddy is the story about a TV writer and producer (C.K.) coming to terms with the fact that his 17-year-old daughter (Chloë Grace Moretz) is romantically involved with a 68-year-old movie director (John Malkovich). From reviews of the film, it is clear that the story tells a regular narrative in Hollywood; a rich, powerful man uses his wit to beguile a teenage girl who feels that she’s found something special with an individual who is old enough to be her grandfather. It is reminiscent of Woody Allen’s Manhattan (which some feel that I Love You, Daddy is more of an ode to Allen and his real-life underage love drama).

It is a problematic storyline, nonetheless, and should have never been given the green light given C.K’s predatory history that is known in Hollywood. In one scene in the film, a character mimes masturbation while in front of a group of people. According to countless women, openly masturbating in front of the opposite sex was, and probably still is, the comedian’s M.O. The film represents a man who has never had to answer for his ill actions. C.K. and dozen’s of other Hollywood predators think they are so smart making movies about things they have done in reality as a way of fulfilling their sexual proclivities all while labeling it as art. It is like predator porn. C.K. seeing things he’s done play out on the big screen feeds his sadistic nature.

men victimized by other men in hollywood james van der beek terry crews
James Van Der Beek, Terry Crews, Anthony Rapp also sexually assaulted by men.

This is the reality about the men who have fallen from Hollywood’s graces. They have taken their deepest darkest lusts and translated them into film form and have fed it to the masses. That is unfortunate because in doing so, we as movie-going audiences have been conditioned to not see these stories for what they truly are – real-life accounts of how these men get down – but instead regard them as “just stories.” As a creative and someone who lived in Los Angeles for three years, I will tell you that little to nothing that is made in Hollywood is happenstance. What we see on the screen is inspired by something, and for men like Louis C.K., their art imitates life. Let us pay more attention to what we view, and if something that we see does not feel right, it is probably not right.

https://twitter.com/vanderjames/status/918350756092305413

As of this writing, the FX networks, Netflix, and HBO have all cut ties with C.K. Also, the distributor of I Love You, Daddy has canceled the release of the film, which was scheduled for some time the week of November 12th.

Power is a crazy thing. It can make you feel like everyone around you is at your disposal, and the bad things you do can never really harm your reputation. But given the current state of affairs in Tinseltown concerning sexual misconduct, the tide is turning, and the culprits are falling hard.

In the case of Louis C.K., the man who just cannot keep his dick in his pants or his clothes on when in the presence of women, another one bites the dust.