Based on listening to the NYT interview and hearing people’s thoughts online, I realize that I was wrong here.
I sound like I’m condoning yelling at work. I do not.
It sounds like I’m excusing Jeffery. I do not.
It sounds like I’m insensitive to Jessica. I am not.
In fact, I’m-— Jason Bateman (@batemanjason) May 24, 2018
-Man, that Arrested Development cast interview with the New York Times left me *fuming* last night. Not because hearing Jessica Walter cry while her male costars go to great lengths to comfort Jeffrey Tambor is as bad as what Tambor was accused of doing on the Transparent set. It’s just that this interview — and especially the 1-minute audio clip from it –perfectly distills the entire issue with male “allies.” It’s how Jason Bateman starts the conversation by threatening to quit if Tambor is fired, clearly declaring sides. It’s how Walter (the victim) is the one who is required to do all the emotional labour during the convo and her forgiveness is an expectation (Tambor’s “absolutely” response tells me he’s learned nothing). It’s how Bateman manexplains to Walter, who won a Golden Globe when he was just two years old, how on-set dynamics work. It’s how he speaks over Alia Shawkat. It’s how a sobbing Walter keeps insisting that Tambor’s behaviour is not normal in Hollywood, and Bateman, David Cross and Tony Hale keep dismissing her with talk of an actor’s “process” and how “families” fight and some tired BS about how creatives should be given a free pass to be assholes. Even Bateman’s apology with all the “it sounds like…” annoys me. No. It didn’t sound like. It was.
–Tony Hale has also apologized for his comments in the interview. And I’m guessing David Cross had some apologizing to do when he got home.
-I thought NPR had a very good take on it. (“The disrespect felt so benign in the delivery and so destructive in the effect.”) Also, I loved Thomas Sadoski’s Instagram post sticking up for Walter, who he once costarred with: “I worked in shitty greasy-spoon kitchens growing up: it wasn’t acceptable behavior THERE and most of us were on HEAVY DRUGS. It certainly isn’t acceptable for some man-baby millionaire to do on a cozy ass tv show set. And it is even less acceptable for his male cast-mates to excuse it away IN FRONT OF THE PERSON THAT IT HAPPENED TO….(wait for it)….WHILE SHE IS TRYING TO EXPLAIN HOW TRAUMATIZING THE EXPERIENCE WAS. What in the halfpenny fuck is happening?!”
-Not surprisingly, all Arrested Development cast interviews that were scheduled for the remainder of the week have been canceled.
-In more “never meet your heroes” news, eight women have accused Morgan Freeman of inappropriate touching and behaviour, according to a new investigation from CNN. He’s given one of those “I’m sorry if you were offended” non-apologies.
-Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA is already reconsidering the lifetime achievement award they bestowed on the actor at the annual SAG Awards this past January.
–Harvey Weinstein is reportedly going to turn himself in on sex crime charges in New York tomorrow.
-We all needed something to brighten our day. Luckily, Chris Hemsworth delivered with a Miley Cyrus dance routine!
-You’d think the movie Show Dogs couldn’t get any worse, but it is undergoing edits amid concerns of “disturbing” touching scenes.
-Cops threatened to pull over Adam Levine and James Corden while they were filming Carpool Karaoke.
–Michelle Williams sent her BFF Busy Philipps a lifesize cutout of herself so she wouldn’t get lonely.
-Ha! Gwyneth Paltrow called her relationship with Ben Affleck “a lesson.”
–Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman talked about a possible Parks and Rec reboot. Don’t tease me!
-Whoa: Netflix is now worth more than Disney.
–Will Smith wants everyone to “stop the divorce rumors and mind your damn business.”
-The Sisters Brothers trailer, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Riz Ahmed and John C. Reilly, has me intrigued.
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