Matthew Lawrence on the Double Standard in the Media’s Response to Sexual Harassment
By Movieguide® Contributor
On a recent podcast with his brothers, Matthew Lawrence opened up about the harassment he has faced throughout his acting career and the double standard between men and women in the industry.
“Not a lot of guys, in my opinion, have come out and talked about [sexual harassment] in the industry,” Lawrence said. “Now granted, I’d say probably a third of what women go through… [but] men go through this as well.”
“[I once] lost my agency because I went to the hotel room – which I can’t believe they would send me to – of a very prominent Oscar award-winning director who showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off,” he recalled. “He needed to take Polaroids of me and then if I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character.”
Lawrence believes that his refusal to comply with the director explains why his agency fired him soon after.
While his experience is not abnormal among men in the acting space, he believes there is a double standard that keeps men from publicly talking about their experience with sexual harassment.
In 2017, Terry Crews accused WME agent Adam Venit of molesting him at a 2016 party, alleging that the agent squeezed his genitals. Crews sued the agency and settled the lawsuit with Venit leaving WME.
Rather than be celebrated for speaking out, Crews was mocked by the media for allowing himself to be harassed.
“People [were] laughing at him. People [didn’t] support him. They kick[ed] him out,” Lawrence said. “Why? Because he’s a man that represents masculinity, and I think our society is less ready to hear that situation going on with men than they are with women.”
The expectation for young actors to endure sexual abuse and harassment and abuse has always plagued Hollywood. Even with the “MeToo” movement, Lawrence’s experience is all too common among men and women in the industry. The best way to combat these dark practices is to shine light on the victims’ stories.
Movieguide® previously reported:
The stars of 1968’s ROMEO AND JULIET have sued Paramount Pictures for more than $500 million over a nude scene they shot when both were underage.
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting were 15 and 16, respectively, when they shot the now iconic Shakespeare adaptation.
The two actors filed a suit alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and fraud.
Director Franco Zeffirelli, who passed away in 2019, reportedly told the young actors that they would be wearing flesh-colored undergarments for a sex scene. However, when it came time to shoot, Zeffirelli told Hussey and Whiting they would be wearing body makeup.
The director told the pair the camera would be placed in such a way that no nudity would be shown, but Whiting’s bare buttocks and Hussey’s bare breasts can be seen.
Hussey and Whiting were still filmed in the nude without their knowledge, violating California and federal laws against indecency and the exploitation of children.
The actors alleged that Zeffirelli told them they must act in the nude or the movie “would fail” and their careers would suffer.
Hussey and Whiting said they “believed they had no choice but to act in the nude in body makeup as demanded.”
Their suit claims that both actors suffered “emotional damage and mental anguish,” and that their careers were not as successful as the movie itself.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
