Alec Baldwin opened up about the lack of gender equality in Hollywood and admitted that he is guilty of having treated women poorly in the past.
“I certainly have treated women in a very sexist way,” the Saturday Night Live star, 59, said while being honored by the Paley Center for Media on Thursday, November 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve bullied women. I’ve overlooked women. I’ve underestimated women. Not as a rule. From time to time I’ve done what a lot of men do, which is … when you don’t treat women the way you treat men. You don’t. I’m from a generation where you really don’t and I’d like that to change. I really would like that to change.”
The Emmy winner explained that this epidemic has not only taken over Hollywood, but other professional settings as well. “I think it’s important for us to try and make the workplace and beyond not only comfortable and right and fair and appropriate but as productive, as well,” he continued. “I think a lot of what we’re dealing with within this issue is hurting our business. It’s making it less productive.”
Baldwin also revealed that he heard about rumors of sexual misconduct in Hollywood long before actresses like Rose McGowan and Angelina Jolie spoke out about it. “I know of certain things that there were rumors of things happening to people, but I didn’t necessarily know the scope when you hear the hundreds of hundreds of women who are complaining about this,” he noted. “I’t been a very eye opening experience for me. We’ve got to be vigilant in a new way to make sure that everybody is comfortable and that we get the job done together that we’re there to do.”
The 30 Rock alum joins a long list of actors who have spoken out about sexual harassment and assault in the industry. As previously reporter, numerous women have claimed that former studio exec Harvey Weinstein behaved inappropriately with them, although Weinstein has since denied all allegations made against him.
Last month, Selma Blair and Rachel McAdams accused director James Tobak of sexual harassment, and earlier this week, former reality star Ariane Bellamar alleged that Jeremy Piven harassed her on the set of Entourage. Both of the accused men have denied all claims made against them.
