The continuing scandal around Harvey Weinstein, and the evolving conversations spurred by the #metoo campaign, have created an atmosphere where women both inside and outside the movie industry feel empowered to share their difficult stories about harassment and assault. This climate has allowed many to come forward about what they’ve experienced in their encounters with writer/director James Toback, who has long been the subject of rumors about his behavior. While the LA Times recently broke the story, in 1989, Spy magazine went to print with allegations against Toback, with a dozen women going on the record. However, times have finally changed, voices are being fully heard, and with 193 women and counting detailing their experiences, two high profile names are also speaking out.
Rachel McAdams and Selma Blair have spoken to Vanity Fair about their encounters with Toback, which echo many of the stories that have been heard so far. They involve a filmmaker who preyed on young women looking to break into the industry, arranged a meeting in a hotel room, and then proceeded to make unwanted advances and humiliating overtures toward them — followed by threats.
READ MORE: James Gunn Says He’s Been Warning Women About James Toback For 20 Years
Blair’s story is incredibly chilling, as she relates what Toback said after he assaulted her: “There is a girl who went against me. She was going to talk about something I did. I am going to tell you, and this is a promise, if she ever tells anybody, no matter how much time she thinks went by, I have people who will pull up in a car, kidnap her, and throw her in the Hudson River with cement blocks on her feet. You understand what I’m talking about, right?”
For McAdams, the revelation that Toback’s behavior was already known, but no one was doing anything, was infuriating:
When I went home, I just couldn’t sleep. It was the worst way to start a new job. I got up very early in the morning and called my agent at the time. And she was outraged. She was very sorry. But she also said, “I can’t believe he did it again. This isn’t the first time that this has happened. He did this the last time that he was in town. He did this to one of my other actresses.” That is when I got mad, because I felt like I was kind of thrown into the lion’s den and given no warning that he was a predator. This was something that he was known for doing already. I was so surprised to hear that.
The full story from both actresses is well worth reading, if only as a reminder that Harvey Weinstein is not an anomaly, and there will likely be more like James Toback revealed in the weeks and months ahead.
