For weeks, Hollywood has been grappling with allegations that producer Harvey Weinstein harassed and assaulted women for decades. And now, Michelle Pfeiffer says abuse in Hollywood is even more pervasive than previously revealed.
In an interview with the BBC, Pfeiffer explained that she never personally worked with the disgraced producer, but claimed every woman she knows in Hollywood had experienced sexual harassment or assault at some point. "There really hasn't been one woman that I've talked to who hasn't had this experience, and it just really goes to show you how systemic the problem is," she said.
The iconic actress has been having new conversations surrounding harassment and assault with women she's known her whole life. "We've never discussed this, and it's coming out," Pfeiffer said.
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After Weinstein was shunned by much of the industry because of the allegations against him (which he has repeatedly denied), dozens of women alleged director James Toback sexually harassed them. Toback also denied the claims. Filmmaker Brett Ratner was accused of sexual assault and rape by multiple women. Ratner denied the claims, but Warner Bros ousted him nonetheless. Multiple men claimed actor Kevin Spacey acted inappropriately towards them both on and off the set of House of Cards, leading Spacey to "seek evaluation and treatment." And the list goes on, as new allegations are made against men in the film industry every week.
The sheer number of claims made public makes it clear there's a deeply embedded history of sexual harassment in Hollywood. And Pfeiffer believes it's affected every single woman in film.
While it's disheartening to constantly be bombarded with new stories of mistreatment, Pfeiffer is optimistic that the national conversation started by Weinstein's now-infamous legacy will lead to change.
"There's a lot of reflection going on with men and women," the actress said.
Time will tell whether or not that reflection becomes action.
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