Ian McKellen claims women offered sex to directors early in his career
The actor also waded in on the allegations against Kevin Spacey
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Your support makes all the difference.Sir Ian McKellen has claimed that he knew of aspiring actors who would offer sex to directors in an attempt to score film roles early on in his career.
The thespian made the claim during a talk at Oxford Union where he applauded the numerous victims who have spoken out about their experience of sexual harassment in Hollywood over the past few months.
“People must be called out and it’s sometimes very difficult for victims to do that. I hope we’re going through a period that will help to eradicate it altogether,” he said.
McKellen added: “But from my own experience, when I was starting acting in the early Sixties, the director of the theatre I was working at showed me some photographs he got from women who were wanting jobs... some of them had at the bottom of their photograph ‘DRR’ - directors’ rights respected: In other words, if you give me a job, you can have sex with me.”
While supporting those to have come forward with their allegations, McKellen paid caution over “wrongful” accusations, adding: “I assume nothing but good will come out of these revelations, even though some people get wrongly accused - there’s that side of it as well.”
The openly gay 78-year-old also commented on the allegations against Kevin Spacey who decided to come out in a statement following Anthony Rapp's accusation of assault against the former House of Cards star. McKellen branded Spacey's decision “reprehensible" for linking "alleged underaged sex with a declaration of sexuality.”
The two worked together during Spacey's tenure as the artistic director at London's Old Vic.
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