The President Of Lucasfilm Wants A "Zero Tolerance Policy" In Hollywood After The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
In the wake of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's many sexual harassment accusations being brought to light in a New York Times report, mega-producer and president of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy is using her power in the entertainment industry to call for change.
Speaking at the 24th annual Elle Women in Hollywood celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Kennedy, whose films have grossed over $11 billion worldwide, urged her peers to create a major cultural shift. She cited Weinstein's alleged actions specifically as a catalyst for this change.
"[The] increased awareness of the belittlement, objectification and predation long endured by women who work in film will certainly be one result of the exposure of what Harvey Weinstein did," Kennedy told the crowd on Monday, per The Hollywood Reporter.
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The Star Wars: The Force Awakens producer urged Hollywood to create a "commission" to protect women working in the industry.
"The organizations that constitute the American film industry — the studios, the unions, the guilds and the talent agencies — should immediately convene a commission charged with the task of developing new, industry-wide protections against sexual harassment and abuse," she said at the Elle event.
She added:
"The commission should be fully funded by our industry in order to address the task at hand in a thorough-going, comprehensive fashion. The goal of this commission would be to transform our industry in regard to sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace."
Later that night, Jennifer Lawrence cited Kennedy's speech, stating that she would "give [her] all" to the commission, should it be created.
Many women have come out with their own stories of sexual harassment in the wake of the Weinstein scandal. With sexism being such a prevalent issue in the industry, it's great to see that women who are power players in the industry are calling for steps to eradicate it.