‘A sigh of relief’: following the Weinstein trial

Harvey Weinstein was once known as one of Hollywood’s most impactful producers, a man who could make careers. But after dozens of sexual assault allegations against him were made, Weinstein now finds himself on trial. WikiCommons

Film mogul Harvey Weinstein has been accused of crimes ranging from sexual misconduct to rape by over 90 women. His trial, one of the most anticipated in recent legal history, is coming down to the testimonies of six women.

Weinstein is facing a total of five counts for rape, criminal sex act and predatory sexual assault. The New York Times reported Feb. 21 that the jury, made up of seven men and five women, is currently at a deadlock on two of the charges that carry the life sentence penalty.

Susan Isaacs, an actress and screenwriting professor, said the trial is a huge relief for some women in the entertainment industry.

“This is such a long time coming. Even when I started out, everyone knew about the casting couch,” Isaacs said. “That’s always been the thing, that you stepped into the business you might come up against that.” The “casting couch” is known as an old Hollywood trope, in which young up-and -coming actresses are subjected to unwanted sexual advances in exchange for work.

“(The trial) gives women a certain amount of breathing room in the sense that whatever they had to deal with in the past is no longer a given situation you have to walk in on as well as it makes it a lot safer to report because this is out there,” Isaacs said. “Often, people just wouldn’t report. Even if it was just crass talk or slapping your ass, it’s just not tolerated anymore. There’s a collective sigh of relief (...) It is a huge step forward.”

Screenwriting professor Bettina Gilois has been working in the film industry as a writer for 30 years. Though she’s never dealt with the types of issues being involved in this trial, she said the working conditions for women in the film industry have improved over time.

“Women have found a new platform. Even in features, it’s become a better atmosphere, it’s better than it was in the 1990s. Over the decades it definitely has changed a lot,” Gilois said. “There were times when I was considered invisible if there were two writers and one was male. Sometimes there were deals where if you add the female writer on, the production company would pay less.”

Sasha Fox, a sophomore film production major, who also works as a model, is starting to see changes for women moving in a positive direction as well.

“In modeling, I have a gig that I do lingerie for and I had to sign this document for abuse in the workplace.” Fox said. “This is a wonderful new thing that they’re doing to make sure that these women are safe because young models, young actresses, like actresses that will come from Wisconsin who just want a break and will do anything, they end up getting in a dangerous position because people will just abuse that power.”

If Weinstein is convicted for one of the top-level counts of predatory sexual assault (which are currently deadlocked), he will serve a minimum of 25 years in prison, according to Associated Press.

“We all have to be prepared if he gets acquitted. There will be a huge sense of disappointment, so that may be a bit of a setback. Given what happened to Kevin Spacey and Harvey (Weinstein), even if you don’t get convicted in a criminal court, the court of public opinion will convict you and you will not work,” Isaacs said. “Frankly, the man needs to be put away. I’ll be very, very disappointed if there isn’t some kind of conviction.”

Screenwriting junior Paige Parker said she’s working on having more confidence upon entering into male-dominated industry.

“I am very intimidated by the male presence, especially in my writing classes. There’s this judgement that they have that it scares me to voice my opinion sometimes. I’ve been working on that,” Parker said. “It’s just all about confidence, you just have to stand up for yourself.”

But Parker added that hearing about the trial only makes her want to pursue her career in the film industry even more.

“Now I can tell my story if anything has happened to me. I’ve had some experiences in the past where I’ve been uncomfortable around men or they haven’t treated me respectfully so it makes me eager to want to step into this world and speak up for myself and other women,” she said.

For female creators looking to find their way into the entertainment industry, Gilois encouraged women to go into it with confidence and authority.

Women should believe in themselves and go out to project about passion in your work, Gilois said.

“It’s really embracing one’s legitimacy to be here at the table and not be any different from anybody,” Gilois said. “I don’t consider myself different in any way from any male writer. I just demand my voice at the table, in a nice way. I don’t set any limits and I feel like we’re just human beings. I think that’s probably the best way to say it. We’re all just human beings.”