Roman Polanski calls #MeToo movement “total hypocrisy”
By Tribute on May 9, 2018 | 30 Comments
Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski says the #MeToo movement, which calls attention to the sexual misconduct of powerful men in Hollywood, is “total hypocrisy” and “collective hysteria.”
In a comment made to the Polish edition of Newsweek, Polanski revealed he believes people who back the movement are doing so out of fear, and likened it to the French Revolution and the St. Bartholemew’s Day Massacre in France.
“I think this is the kind of mass hysteria that occurs in society from time to time,” he said.
Last week Polanski was in Poland to promote his latest film, Based on a True Story, at the Netia Off Camera Film Festival in Krakow, where he grew up.
While there, the 84-year-old director made these comments just days before he, along with actor Bill Cosby, were both stripped of their memberships from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy cited a case from 1977 in which Polanski pleaded guilty to drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.
He originally pleaded not guilty but later agreed to a plea deal that left him with just one charge. The Paris-born Holocaust survivor then fled the U.S. hours before his sentencing and has been allowed to live in France because of his dual Polish and French citizenships.
Following his expulsion from the Academy, Polanski threatened to sue Oscar organizers, whose actions he believes went against their own standards of conduct and Californian law.
“The only thing we’re asking for is a hearing, a chance to present his side,” Polanski’s lawyer, Harland Braun, told the Los Angeles Times.
“What I would hope is that [the Academy’s legal counsel] would say, ‘Let’s avoid an expensive lawsuit. Let’s just start over. We’ll rescind the expulsion and we’ll put him on notice that we’re thinking of expelling him and we’ll give you the opportunity to present your case.’”
This, Braun said, is the “only rational thing.” Otherwise, he says they will go to court.
In 2003, Polanski won the best director Oscar for his film, The Pianist (2003). Although he wasn’t there to receive the award, the audience gave him a standing ovation in his absence.
“When the award was given, everyone knew about the offence,” Braun said. “It wasn’t a secret. And all of the sudden, they turn on him and expel him without a hearing? I think they thought this was an easy one – an 84-year old director’s not going to fight it, right?”
Polanksi, who had been an Academy member for nearly 50 years, told Newsweek that his expulsion was the “height of hypocrisy.” ~Caitlyn Clancey
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Im not really interested in this sex offender’s opinion of Me Too…
OMG everybody is a sex offender nowadays. BORING! Can we move past #MeToo?????? Polanski is a good director btw.
Regardless of his culpability or lack of (was that ever proven? I don’t doubt it – people suck anyway), he is right. Stupid masses following stupid masses. Good thing this so-called “movement” is dying down.
Hypocrisy and falsehood.
What’s the ratio of accusations “before they got what they want” versus the ones “AFTER they got what they want”? Is not abuse, is just remorseful prostitution (and in some/most cases not even remorseful, just opportunistic).
Let’s go with everything against those dirty rapists that are PROVEN guilty by a court of law, and leave alone those that are INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty, how about that?
HOW ABOUT NO – @R. Polanski IS A PROVEN RAPIST. He needs to be held accountable. ITS NOT OKAY TO RAPE!!!! EVER!!
I agree with you that some people have gone overboard, but face the facts. It’s MEN like this that ARE the problem. They need to be stoped and quite frankly, castrated.
Man the idiots in here defending a pedophile rapist. I wouldnt care he found the cure for cancer. A child rapist is a rapist end of story period. He should die in prison.
The opinion of a convicted rapist who also drugged his victim is out of place as it relates to the #MeToo movement and anyone who thinks we should “move on” from a movement that’s only been around for a year or two is dreaming. Women have endured rape and sexual harassment for CENTURIES and some men are now BORED of the conversation? Then don’t join in the conversation because we’re not going to just move on until this is no longer the norm in societies all over the world. #TimesUp #MeToo #NoOneIsAboveTheLaw
He is a has been who is trying to be relevant again. He is purposely stating something he knows is controversial to get his name in the papers. I forgot he existed.
it is people like Roman Polanski – Bill Cosby & Mr.Trump the reason why these women have not come forward along time ago knowing that people like them would do everything in their power to discredit them & make them look like liars! When it is them who are the liars & very sick persons for doing so! & the only reason these women all have just come forward now is because Mr.Trump said that what he had said he does was just locker-room talk & nothing more – so they just said enough of that as they knew it wasn’t just locker-room talk & that he actually took advantage of his position as a Celebrity to take advantage of them! Of course Mr.Trump now wants to say it wasn’t his voice on the tape that it was a fake like everything else that is true about him fake news – what a very sick man he is! & Robert you sound like you would do the same thing if you were in their position! So that is why this me-too movement has taken form & is going to take many people down – The Bible says be sure your sin will find you out so if these women are lying then that too will come to their own down fall!
Why must everyone be so extreme in their views. Die in prison. Wow @Michael Gaudet. No room for discussion, eh?
No discussion needed. All rapists should be in prison and die there.
The Guy is a POS. end of story. anyone who supports him, be it male of female, (I’m looking at you Meryl Streep) is also a POS.
@TeeDee Men arent getting “Bored of the conversation” as you say. Its more that this is a on sided argument. When men came out with their #MeToo stories, they were told to shut up. They were told that they were taking attention away from the issue. Men want to be included in the conversation, but every time, you push them out. That just creates more animosity. Which sadly just proved, once again, for the 100th time, that Feminism, was not for equality. But for Women.
They have had decades to expel him and they didn’t. Suddenly the metoo movement starts and they take this action. They don’t care if it’s right or wrong. They just want to make sure there is no backlash on themselves. The metoo might have started legitimately, but it is now way, way, way out of control. Women are bringing up things like sexual jokes and complaining about minor things. They have done the same things in their past. As for the “rape”, Roman Polanski served his time. Then, when it didn’t turn out as the U.S. courts had hoped, they try and punish him further. Maybe people making comments should listen to what the “rape” victim and the prosecutor in the rape case have to say.
The Child molester never should have been given any awards.
He should have been kicked out of the academy when the guilty plea came and then he ran from it.
If he sues, he should be required to be present in court, then they can throw him in jail.
He needs his time in jail, like he should have had starting in 1977 !!!!
Sure, he should have his hearing. In the States…where he fled his charges for being a child rapist. He fled the charges, doesn’t that make him a fugitive? Lock him up when he shows up, have him serve his sentence, and then sure, have a hearing about having him removed from the Academy membership.
Still shouldn’t be allowed back in, but if he makes it through his sentence, than he can have a hearing about it
The worst part about all of this is if he’s EVER finally given the jail sentence he deserves, the old guy will serve like a year of it and then probably keel over dead in his cell. They should have trie harder to get him in the 70s. He’s just been living it up in Europe all this time instead of rotting in jail. Terrible.
Sure Roman, file that lawsuit, see you on American soil in court!
Do you even lift brah? If people would stop being lazy and just lift they would suppress their urge to rape. Proven by science.
Fake news!
@ JoshBro — lol.
Yes, Polanski is a talented director. He is also a rapist. As people above me have stated, he should have been brought to account years ago. That is why the MeToo Movement is necessary, no matter how long it takes, to bring these criminals to justice. #TimesUp
Hashtag justice
Alright, why doesn’t anyone talk about how difficult it is for straight men to flirt nowadays? I understand me too and I agree it’s important, but no one addresss the reasons why men always rape Women and never the other way around. Women can have sex whenever they want but men need to have money, a job, have a great personality, good looking, strong, sensitive, smart, a full head of hair, and an agreeable disposition in order to even TALK to a woman. And then men have to flirt without offending the woman, AND make the first move, AND discern before making the first move that she is into you (by asking for concent) without being alkward. All I am saying is that nobody wants to talk about the difficulties of relating to the opposition sex and gender role hypocrites. Everyone just wants to talk about the most extreme rape cases and yell how wrong it is. K??
Mark, men don’t rape women because they can’t get a date. It’s because they’re violent, disturbed individuals who want power over someone else. If a man wants a date with a woman, all he has to do is show up. Women aren’t very discerning these days from what I’ve seen. And I don’t think women can have sex whenever they want, unless they’re total skanks who will go with any gross pig who may wind up killing them. But to find a decent guy who is kind and sweet, that takes a lot of dates before you find one, there are a lot of guys who are only looking for sex and who are skeezes, so you have to date a lot of frogs first. It’s no easier for women than men. Actually, I think men have it easier. Just show up, wear clean clothing and don’t talk about yourself all the time.
@ Rachel. Yeah, see the point I am trying to make is to examine why men are violent and disturbed. And then, why do they want power over someone else? At least women have the option of having sex. You called these women skanks, but male skanks do not exist. Men’s self worth is tied to their sexuality just as much as a woman’s. Men are told you have to conquer a woman, but they are also told to treat them as an equal.
Arguing over who has it harder – men or women – is stupid. Both of them have it hard, just in different ways. I am trying to examine why men have it hard (not harder) no pun intended. BTW showing up with clothing and not talking about yourself is not an effective dating strategy. Trust a man on this.
I agree with the hypocrite part of the article. From my observations it appears that most of the women in the metoo movement are not interested in gender equality. They seem to want to dominate men and are using these cases as an excuse to do so.
Anything a man can do women can also do. This includes sexual misconduct. There have been women that have been charged with molesting children. It is not totally unheard of.
Mark, you need to talk to someone professional to get your anger at women out of your system. Your comments are kinda disturbing. There are a lot of bald dudes with women, a lot of guys who aren’t rich and a lot of idiots with women. You don’t have to be smart with a full head of hair and money. But yeah, an agreeable disposition is probably important. You think women (or men) want someone with a disagreeable disposition? And that if you offend someone while flirting, they’re still gonna want you? What are you talking about?
I’m talking about how difficult is to flirt with women because I have to make the first move and gender hypocrisy etc. I’m not angry, I think actually you are the one with the anger problem, Jason
If u actually read my comment I did not say I expect a woman to be into me if I offend them while flirting, what I said was it’s difficult to flirt. Plz read my comments do not interpret them to fit your theory
I think Mark does have anger issues. You can flirt with a woman without offending her. The issue is that guys don’t have courage. They can’t take getting shot down. Well too bad for you.
I wish I were gay. I would get laid so much more if I were gay. Like they say, go gay get to play. Go straight once a month is great
Don’t give up Mark. Just be considerate and kind and you’ll find someone. It takes time. I’m a girl and haven’t met the right guy yet, a lot of times they seem too shy to approach girls and if they don’t do it, then nothing happens because if we make the first move, then the guy’s not as interested. Not easy for either girls or guys to meet someone these days.