Another day, another gross story of misogyny and sexism coming out of Hollywood. Earlier this week, actress Rosamund Pike made an appearance on Amazon's Audible Sessions, where The Independent reports she recalled being asked to strip for an audition in her early 20s.
Pike, who's built her career starring in films like Gone Girl and A United Kingdom, revealed that she was asked to (and, ultimately, refused to) strip down into her underwear before auditioning for the 2002 James Bond film, Die Another Day.
"My first audition was for a Bond film, and I remember them saying I was to drop my dress and appear in my underwear," she said, according to The Independent. "On the day, I don't know how I got the resolve and strength of mind, but I just thought, 'Actually, sod that, if they're gonna see me in my underwear, they better give me the job.' So, I thought, 'There's no way I'm going to take off a dress in the audition for this tape to be sent around Los Angeles and to be judged on that.'"
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Pike said the costume designer at the audition told her that the dress she was wearing (a gift from her grandmother) was "beautiful," but didn't quite fit the overall Bond vibe. Instead, she tried to persuade Pike to wear "three pieces of string."
"I realised I was in a completely different world and way out of my depth," Pike said. "So, I put on this shimmering sheath, or whatever the order of the day was, but I didn't drop it."
Ultimately, Pike did take a role in the film and had nothing but positive things to say about producer Barbara Broccoli who advocated for her and ensured the set was respectful and free from additional sexism. (Barbara wins here on two fronts: having the best name in the business, and being a defender of human decency.)
Pike's story is, unfortunately, all too familiar for many prominent Hollywood stars. Last year, Jennifer Lawrence shared a harrowing casting experience in which she was asked to stand in a "nude lineup."
"During this time a female producer had me do a nude lineup with about five women who were much, much thinner than me," she recalled during Elle's Women in Hollywood event, according to BuzzFeed. "We are stood side-by-side with only tape on covering our privates. After that degrading and humiliating lineup, the female producer told me I should use the naked photos of myself as inspiration for my diet."
Another horrifying audition story comes from actress Emmy Rossum, who claimed that a director once asked her to meet him wearing nothing but a bikini in exchange for a part in his film.
Something's got to change, and it's not women's expectations that they'll be treated fairly and professionally.