On their Brotherly Love podcast, Joey, Andy and Matthew Lawrence discussed something they feel isn’t talked about enough in show business: the so-called Hollywood “casting couch” when it comes to young male actors.
Matthew began by praising the #MeToo movement for exposing such abuse by those in power in the entertainment industry, but says it happens to guys, too — including himself.
“There’s been many times in my life where I’ve been propositioned to get a huge role,” Matthew explained. “I’ve lost my agency because I went to the hotel room — which I can’t believe they would send me to — of a very prominent Oscar Award-winning director who showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off and said he needed to take Polaroids of me.”
He continued, “And then if I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character. I didn’t do that, and my agency fired me because I left this director’s room.”
He mentioned Terry Crews, who went public with an accusation against a powerful producer he claims groped him in public. Brendan Fraser also made headlines for accusing a former leader at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association of doing the same.
“Terry Crews comes out and says it; people are laughing at him,” Matthew said. “People don’t support him. They kick him out. Why? Because he’s a man that represents masculinity, and I think our society is less ready to hear that situation going on with men.”
He continued, “Not a lot of guys, in my opinion, have come out and talked about this in the industry. … Now granted, it’s probably about a third of what women go through. … Men go through this as well, whether it’s another woman or another man in power.”
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