Harvey Weinstein: Hollywood reflects on MeToo impact as new trial begins

Opening arguments person begun successful the latest intersexual battle proceedings of the disgraced erstwhile Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein.

A much-diminished Weinstein, with reportedly declining health, is backmost successful LA and incarcerated successful a situation cell, connected proceedings for rape and intersexual assault.

This tribunal lawsuit follows Weinstein being convicted successful New York for different enactment crimes, though that lawsuit is nether appeal.

He denies ever having non-consensual enactment with anyone.

The LA proceedings is expected to beryllium overmuch little of a spectacle, but it's causing galore successful Hollywood to look backmost astatine the #MeToo question and measure its success.

A caller survey by the advocacy radical showed that portion 83% of respondents felt that advancement has been made since 2017, a staggering 69% said they had personally experienced maltreatment oregon misconduct astatine enactment since the question began.

"It's mislaid momentum," Women successful Film CEO Kirsten Schaffer said of the question for adjacent rights and practice for women.

Seasoned movie producers often inquire their stars to sprout enactment scenes connected the archetypal time of filming. That way, an histrion can't alteration their caput astir nudity fractional mode done a movie erstwhile recasting would beryllium expensive.

That inactive happens successful Hollywood, 5 years aft stories of systemic intersexual battle and harassment rocked Hollywood and ignited the #MeToo.

But now, it's apt an intimacy coordinator volition beryllium connected acceptable making definite actors consciousness comfy and harmless arsenic they simulate sex.

Schaffer continues: "I deliberation determination is guardant motion. And that's wherefore it's not ace depressing," she says, adding that 5 years agone the effect to #MeToo was intense, with "so galore radical caring astir it, putting caller policies successful place, launching programmes".

And galore radical successful Hollywood accidental those policies are working.

Actresses accidental they're offered much absorbing roles, and determination are much opportunities for pistillate unit members, writers and directors.

Rosanna Arquette, 1 of Weinstein's archetypal nationalist accusers, was portion of the Screen Actors Guild committee which helped present intimacy coordinators connected set, to marque definite everyone is comfy successful immoderate country requiring nudity.

"A batch of radical were against the intimacy coordinators, but you know, a batch of maltreatment did hap that way," Ms Arquette told the BBC.

Many aspiring actors accidental the manufacture has changed for the better. When we visited an acting people 5 years ago, galore told america fearfulness stories of the fearfulness they look going into auditions - the precise existent fearfulness that they mightiness beryllium sexually assaulted oregon propositioned successful speech for a role.

At the Michelle Danner Acting Studio this week, aspiring stars spoke to the BBC astir their experiences auditioning and performing successful low-budget films hoping to get their large break. Aside from a fewer sleazy propositions, astir said they'd been treated with respect.

Ms Danner, who runs the acting workplace and directs movies, says the casting sofa volition ne'er afloat vanish but that radical are overmuch much cautious now.

Auditions person go overmuch much harmless and ceremonial experiences, with monitors and rules astir the fig of radical successful a room. And owed to the pandemic, galore are present taking them via video phone.

"The fears are real," says Ms Danner, adding that radical consciousness empowered to talk up present much than ever if determination is misconduct astatine work.

"The #MeToo question created that, and there's nary going back. I don't deliberation you tin ever adjacent the doorway to what has started."

The Academy of Motion Pictures has responded to disapproval of Hollywood by importantly diversifying its membership, inviting much women and radical of colour to beryllium portion of the radical which hosts the Oscars.

But it tin lone bash truthful overmuch and the statistic for women successful movie tin beryllium reasonably grim.

According to the Center for the Study of Women successful Film successful Television, pistillate characters accounted for conscionable 35% of large characters successful the apical 100 grossing films successful 2021, down 3 percent points from the erstwhile year.

And aft reaching historical highs successful 2020, the percentages of women directing apical grossing films declined successful 2021. The fig of women moving arsenic directors connected the apical 100 films retreated from 16% successful 2020 to 12% successful 2021.

But much women are producing movie and TV - 32% of producers (up from 30% successful 2020).

Many almighty pistillate players similar Reese Witherspoon person started their ain accumulation companies, to marque the benignant of films and TV shows they privation to see. That impulse has dispersed passim the industry.

At the Danner acting school, actresses Josephine Hies and Meitar Paz person started producing arsenic good arsenic acting truthful they tin person much power implicit the stories they tell.

As a shaper you person "a antithetic powerfulness successful however you archer stories" and powerfulness implicit which stories are told, Hies said.

Harvey Weinstein's downfall is present immortalised successful a film. She Said stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan arsenic the New York Times reporters who investigated the intersexual harassment and maltreatment claims against Weinstein. It's owed to deed cinemas successful the US successful November, and Weinstein's lawyers failed successful their effort to hold its release, claiming it would prejudice the assemblage that's conscionable been selected against him.

At the film's New York premiere, the stars rubbed shoulders with galore of Weinstein's accusers, immoderate of whom person roles successful the film.

Rowena Chiu, Weinstein's erstwhile adjunct who says helium sexually assaulted her past coerced her into signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement, oregon NDA, says she hopes the movie volition animate healthier workplaces.

She came guardant 20 years aft the alleged battle to archer her story, due to the fact that she thought it was important to accidental that it wasn't conscionable Hollywood actors who were targeted.

"It's important that we uphold the ineligible system. There were dozens of women helium assaulted and lone a fistful tin testify," she said.

"I'm not progressive successful Hollywood. I don't enactment successful Hollywood," she said.

"It's important to amusement our stories."