Hollywood is experiencing a reckoning with the most disturbing parts of its culture — and our culture as a whole. Sexual harassment and sexual assault are topics of conversation in a way that none of us could have predicted a year ago. And if we have to be honest, we never imagined this could happen, given how survivors of sexually-based offences are shamed into silence, and how perpetrators rarely see consequences.
But we're finally starting to see action against abusers. Julia Roberts, appearing on the Today Show, spoke with Matt Lauer about the industry she's been working in for over 30 years. He asked Roberts to "weigh in" on the flood of stories coming out of Hollywood and beyond.
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"You know, it's all so ugly in so many ways," she begins.
Lauer then reminds Roberts that while she's an established A-list actress now, that wasn't always the case. "You were a young, up-and-coming actress. Did you have any of these experiences" he asks.
"I've never had any of those experiences," assures Roberts. "I almost feel bad saying that, because I don't know why I was spared. You hear these awful, heart-wrenching stories, and — and I have a daughter — it is heartbreaking. But it's not been part of my experience." It's unfortunate that Roberts feel like she's "lucky" to not have been victimised, when that should be the standard, that women should not be harassed or assaulted at work, or anywhere.
Roberts also wonders if she may have been harassed when she was younger, and didn't realise at the time. "...Perhaps I was subtly approached and didn't recognise it for what it was, I don't know," she says.
Watch the full Today Show interview below.
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