Inspired by Blake Lively’s recent accusatory testimonies against Justin Baldoni, renowned actress Kate Beckinsale has decided to break her silence about the various instances of abuse she encountered within the realm of Hollywood. In a recently uploaded social media video, Beckinsale, aged 51, lauded Lively for blowing the whistle on the disconcerting ‘machine’ that springs into action when women express their outrage about authentic abuses within this industry.
The ‘Underworld’ star made it known how familiar she is with this scenario, detailing a series of abuses throughout her acting career. Beckinsale courageously admitted that she has a multitude of similar tales, with the count exceeding ’47 million’. Giving audiences a glimpse into her harrowing experiences she shared an instance in which she experienced derogatory behavior on a movie set after objecting to her inebriated co-worker who consistently resulted in constant delays.
An even more alarming account involved two of her projects, where Beckinsale was placed in potentially dangerous combat scenes. The worst aspect of this experience was where she was consistently made to feel as if she was somehow causing disrupting issues, Post facing injuries in an altercation scene. Her comments highlighted a disturbing reality of the industry; a section of male actors who exploit such scenes as a legal loophole to inflict harm on their female counterparts.
Another unsettling event that Beckinsale was brave enough to share was when she was boxed into participating in a photoshoot under the duress of her own publicist. This photoshoot was callously scheduled a day following her miscarriage, and a refusal on her part would have called for a lawsuit.
Further testifying to the hostile environment she found herself in, Beckinsale admitted that she had been subjected to extreme diet and workout regimes on two different occasions that were so severe they affected her menstrual cycle. The rigorous catered programs were so intense that they caused her monthly cycle to cease.
When Beckinsale was merely 18-years-old, she experienced inappropriate behavior by a trusted crew member. Shocked and distressed, she sought refuge in a lead actress, a known advocate for women. When she confided in her about this violation of her trust, she was met with denial, undermining her experiences.
To make matters worse, Beckinsale tried to seek support from another actress regarding her mishap, only to find that this individual too dismissed her claims outright. Beckinsale’s unsettling anecdotes serve as a sobering testament to the shocking prevalence of sexual assaults within this industry inflamed by the vacuum of meaningful support and belief in the victims.
The spotlight on these untoward incidents was thrown by Blake Lively’s accusations against Justin Baldoni, whom she alleged sexually harassed her during the filming of ‘It Ends With Us’. According to Lively, her career fell victim to a smear campaign orchestrated by Baldoni, in retaliation to her speaking up about his unsavory behaviors.
In the wake of ongoing sexual harassment allegations, Baldoni denied them outright, proclaiming his innocence. Like many women who voice their grievances about the predatory culture in Hollywood, Beckinsale empathized with Lively, remarking how females often find themselves facing the bitter end of stigmatization, and subsequently challenged support when they confront their offenders.
The seasoned actress concluded her video by expressing gratitude towards Lively for underlining that sexual misconduct is not a bygone issue but is a reality that’s sadly ongoing. She cautioned that whenever such a mishap unfolds, a pervasive and destructive apparatus is unleashed to damage the victims further.
This, according to Beckinsale, forms the crux of her caption that buttresses her video; that women who report their abuses should not face compounded distress, especially in their workplaces which are meant to be bastions of safety. She further opines that it is not the responsibility of victims, often women in this case, to brush off the very abuse they’ve been subjected to, possibly even in front of multiple eyewitnesses, just for the sake of fitting in or averting further abuses.
The extraordinarily candid sharing from Lively nudged another actor, Abigail Breslin, to write an incisive essay about misbehavior within professional settings. This essay appeared as a Tumblr post, where the ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ actress revealed how her justified angst about a male colleague’s actions, on a recent project, was shrugged off as mere hysteria.
Breslin’s engagement with this pervasive issue extended to casting doubt on the inclination to easily celebrate a woman’s downfall while hastily defending a man accused of wrongful behaviors. By labeling the woman a liar the moment she breaks her silence, society further perpetuates this problem, something Breslin seems to think grows from a visceral fear of acknowledging the incident’s authenticity.
It is Breslin’s hope that this denial of victim’s experiences stems more from a deep-seated refusal to admit that these incidents are frequently happening, rather than an outright disbelief. By rewriting these narratives and shedding a light on these abuses within the industry, they hope to eradicate the systematic abuse and create a safer workspace in Hollywood.