The Time For Accountability Is Long Overdue
Bill Murray / Photo by Paul SherwoodI sit here and think about recent allegations brought forth against actors that have been blessing the small and big screen for the better part of 50 years. Bill Murray and Frank Langella have both been removed from the current projects they were cast in due to “inappropriate behavior”. Now, with Langella’s case it is reported that he inappropriately touched his female co-star’s leg during a scene. Whether he was in “the moment” or not whilst filming, having respect for her boundaries should always be taken into consideration when attempting to improvise. Bill Murray apparently made an inappropriate joke that offended his co-star whose identity has not been revealed. Whatever was said or done by Mr. Murray has repercussions, and that’s all there is to it.
These are actors that come from a different time in Hollywood. A Hollywood where things that are deemed as highly offensive now were perceived through rose colored glasses then. Should that have been the case though? Should what was deemed as acceptable ever have been acceptable? It shouldn’t have, but sadly like many other offensive occurrences from Hollywood’s olden days these things were either unreported or swept under the rug. Think back to all the women that came forward against Harvey Weinstein. He’d been operating within the Hollywood system for years. How many assaults went unreported?
Frank Langella / Photo by Georges Biard I’m not saying that whatever Bill Murray and Frank Langella did should be considered in the same light as the atrocities committed by Weinstein, Bill Cosby or Kevin Spacey, but the door has been opened, and the open dialogue has been started. If the people, they offended were made to feel unsafe or uncomfortable then they must be held accountable. People within this industry now feel a level of comfort to say something. That’s a good thing, because now people that might have otherwise felt comfortable enough to pull some creep moves before are instead going think twice for fear of being held accountable. Now having people behaving virtuously due to fear isn’t ideal, but it is a start. They are no longer are going to get away with such behavior as more and more people are going to feel the confidence to speak up.
