Stories about abuse and sexual harassment continue to pour out the entertainment industry on a near regular basis. The Harvey Weinstein scandal has broken the floodgates as women and men come forward with their own personal accounts of sexual harassment they've received from others in the film and TV worlds. Ellen Page recently wrote in a statement that she experienced sexual harassment from director Brett Ratner, who outed her publicly as a gay woman on the set of X-Men: The Last Stand. Her co-star in the film, Anna Paquin, has now corroborated Page's account of the incident.
In a Facebook post, Ellen Page wrote that Brett Ratner, a successful director and producer, outed her at a "meet and greet" between the cast and crew of X-Men: The Last Stand before filming began. Page was 18-years-old at the time. Anna Paquin, who starred as Rogue in the first three of the X-Men films, claims in a Twitter post that she was there when this happened and that Page's account is accurate. She stands with Page on her accusations of Ratner's actions.
Ellen Page joined six other women who accused Brett Ratner of inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment. The group of women includes Olivia Munn, a fellow X-Men actress. Ratner has had a long history of rumors regarding his behavior. The oftentimes crass director is known for making insensitive comments, something that has cost him work in the past. Ratner has vehemently denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer.
Following the accusations of Brett Ratner's alleged behavior, Ratner has "stepped away" from a $450 million development deal he had between Warner Bros and his production company, RatPac Entertainment. Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot has also reportedly given Warner Bros. an ultimatum regarding their relationship with Ratner. According to rumor, Gadot is threatening to not return for a Wonder Woman sequel if RatPac Entertainment is in any way involved with the movie. (Ratner was a producer on the original film).
Brett Ratner is among several actors, producers, and executives who have been accused of sexual harassment. Since the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Andrew Kreisberg, and Amazon Studio boss Roy Price are among the men who have been named by several women and men for sexual harassment. Huge shifts and changes have already occurred due to the reports, which seem to grow in number by the day as the deep-rooted misbehavior in the entertainment industry is further revealed.
