Aaron Sorkin says Scott Rudin got what he deserves after bullying allegations

[ad_1]

Aaron Sorkin takes no shots when it comes to disgraced Hollywood producer Scott Rudin.

The “West Wing” writer, whose hit adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird” returns to Broadway, said Rudin got what he deserved following accusations about the producer story. ‘intimidation of assistants and staff.

Rudin had been the producer of Sorkin’s cover of the Harper Lee classic, which is set to return to Broadway next week.

But following an explosive report in April from The Hollywood Reporter, which recounted allegations of bullying stories, including allegations that the imbalanced producer once attacked an assistant, Rudin walked away from the play and other projects, such as The Music Man, ”with Hugh Jackman.

In an interview with Vanity Fair published Thursday, Sorkin explained why he took the news of Rudins’ abuse allegations personally and why he had not spoken out sooner in the wake of the report.

Aaron Sorkin claims he had no knowledge of Scott Rudin’s alleged abusive behavior, although the men worked together on several projects. Getty Images for Academy Museum

If I had known there is no way that I would have tolerated it, there is no way [director] Bart Sher would have tolerated it, than Jeff Daniels would have tolerated it. So we didn’t know. And once we did, we did something, Sorkin said. I think Scott got what he deserves. He’s lying flat on the mat right now, and I don’t know how helpful it is for me to stand on his chest and sort of jump up and down.

Following exposures that claimed that over the years Rudin pushed assistants out of moving cars, threw phones at them, and fired staff for bringing him the wrong type of muffin, the brandon producer said apologized for the pain my behavior has caused to individuals, directly and indirectly.

Shortly thereafter, Rudin, who was originally from Broadway shows like “The Book of Mormon”, covered “Hello Dolly!” and films like “Clueless,” “No Country for Old Men,” and “Lady Bird,” have said he is moving away from his current theater, film and streaming projects.

Sorkin told Vanity Fair that he had a Zoom call with Rudin after the THR article was published, in which it was made clear that Rudin would no longer have any involvement with To Kill a Mockingbird and would not would be paid more as the producer of the show. Rudin however still benefits from the issue because he owns a stake in it as an investor.

According to an April exhibit, Rudin had a history of abusive behavior, including throwing phones at subordinates and pushing assistants out of moving cars.

Although the investigative report recounts Rudin’s notorious behavior, Sorkin denied having knowledge of it. The two have worked together several times over the years, including on films like The Social Network and Sorkin’s HBO series The Newsroom.

Sorkin said: “It was painful to read this story from The Hollywood Reporter, especially because it’s quite likely that some of those assistants who were being abused were working on something that I wrote while they were being abused. “

He added that he “took it personally” and noted that the news of the alleged abuse “had been a great shock”.

I’m going to tell you that in a number of follow-up stories I’ve read, you’ll see people quoted saying: Everyone knew, everyone knew. And this is ridiculous. Not everyone knew. I certainly didn’t know it, and I don’t know anyone who did, Sorkin added.

People took to the streets of New York City to protest Scott Rudin’s involvement in Broadway productions.Robert Miller

Following the report, cast and crew on Broadway protested Rudin’s involvement in the theatrical community, and a series of news articles asked why the behavior was allowed and who probably knew it. .

Sorkin said he was shocked to be seen as someone who knew and hadn’t done anything.

I saw in the posts that talked about it that my name would always be on a list of people who chose to remain silent, which implies that we somehow approve of what Scott did. , or we don’t think it’s a big deal, or we want to make sure we can work with him when and if he makes a comeback, something like that, ”he said.

Award-winning producer Scott Rudin is the originator of Broadway shows such as “The Book of Mormon”, “Hello Dolly!” and movies like “Clueless” and “No Country for Old Men”. Theo Wargo

Sorkin continued: But I just wanted to say something, to be quoted as saying: This is unacceptable. There must be consequences, that kind of quote, it was like insurance protection for me. And I wasn’t comfortable with it.

He noted that he had not spoken with Rudin since that Zoom call, but compared the situation to that of dealing with an alcoholic or drug addict.

“Do I think there is a comeback for him?” I have no idea. Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t know what he’s doing now. But I’ll say this: I hope he gets better. I feel what I would feel with an alcoholic or a drug addict. Hope he gets better, ”Sorkin said.

[ad_2]